


Heartbreak

by Pommy



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Another repost from my other accounts on different websites, Cliche, F/M, First several chapters made a couple of years ago so, Fluff, Fluffy Moments, Hurt/Comfort, Ignored, Lisanna and Happy are cool, Love, Lucy Is Special, Lucy is kind of a badass cuz she deserves it, Lucy x Gajeel, Rejection, Romance, Some Cursing, Some Levy bashing, Yes it's one of those fanfics, everyone makes mistakes, galu, hint hint, powers, wink wink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-01-31 02:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 56,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12666534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pommy/pseuds/Pommy
Summary: Lucy has been ignored by the guild for two months ever since Lisanna's arrival. Along the way, her's and an Iron Dragon Slayer's heart has been broken. They form a team after a shocking encounter with Natsu and decide to forget the despair they feel. What will be the out come of their relationship?





	1. Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Like I've said in the tags, this story is pretty cliche since I... y'know, started writing it a couple of years ago. Since I have this on two other websites like Blank, I might as well share this one with all of you.
> 
> I warn you, the first several chapters aren't that great considering that's around the time I began improving my writing so don't be surprise if it's sorta cringey.
> 
> I won't hold you back with me talking any longer, so enjoy this GaLu fanfic, Heartbreak.
> 
> \- Queen Pommy
> 
> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

Lucy walked on the edge of the canal, waving away the concern of the men on their boats as she cuddled her little shaking spirit, Plue, to her chest. She was wearing a purple skirt and purple crop top along with her pig tails, the pig tails reaching her shoulders and her bangs framing her face. It would look like she's content in the morning sun and the warm weather, but things aren't always what it appears to be.

The blonde has been ignored by everyone in the guild ever since Lisanna came back from the 'dead' for two months. In result, she had to take dangerous missions like taking out dark guilds by herself, ending up with many battle scars. Only a few people didn't ignore her like, Master, Happy, Wendy, Carla, Juvia, Mirajane, and sometimes Lisanna. She would occasionally chat with Gajeel which was just pretty much him asking tips about asking Levy out. I'm so happy that he's going to confess to her today! She thought. Hopefully that book I told him about would work too.

It's actually funny though. Lucy decided to confess to Natsu that day also. She already had it all planned out in her head, early in the morning when Lisanna isn't there yet, she can pull him out into the back, then she confesses.

Lucy sends Plue back into the Spirit World before she takes a deep breath and pushing the doors open. She scans the guild for a certain pink-haired Dragon Slayer who was sitting with Erza, Happy, and Gray at the bar. Gray was playing with his ice in his cup of water, Erza was eating her favorite strawberry cake, while Happy is chomping down on a fish, and Natsu was finishing up eating fire from a torch he found some where. She takes a deep breath and look around if anyone else is in the guild, in her relief, only a few were there.

* * *

  **LUCY'S POV**

My feet began walking towards them, hesitant at first, before taking slow long strides. Happy was the first to notice me and grinned his usual cat grin, putting his fish down for a moment to fly into my chest, "Luuuussshhyy!" he yelled before reaching his destination and hugging me. I giggle and pat his head, knowing that I've caught the three's attention.

"Hey there Happy, how have you been?" I ask him with a smile and look down at him to see that he had big, teary eyes.

"Natsu didn't buy me enough fish!" he whines. I giggle again, petting his head between his ears before saying, "I'll buy you some fish later, the size of my whole arm!" I said.

He then went into a daze with a content smile before letting go, "Thank you Lushy..." he said before dreamily flying back to his abandoned fish as he thought about the size of fish I was going to give him. I then look up to my three team mates who were looking at me with a questioning look, "Can I talk to Natsu?... In private?" I ask.

Erza and Gray nod and went back to eating and playing with ice, not even saying anything like they usually did ever since Lisanna came back. Natsu nods with a goofy grin, putting down his unlit torch and hopping off the stool. I guide him towards the back of the guild as I twiddled with my thumbs.

What happens if he says no? I mean, do I just walk away? Act casual? What if he says nothing? What then?!

Before I knew it I was facing Natsu at the back of the guild. Natsu was looking at me with his usual smile, "What did you need to talk about, Luce? Is it about Happy's fish?" he pouts. I couldn't help, but chuckle and shake my head.

"No, it's not that... Um... Natsu... I..." I look down at the ground to avoid his burning gaze and to hide my flaming cheeks.

"What's wrong?" he finally asks during my long pause.

I take a deep breath before bravely looking up at Natsu, who was looking down at me curiously and with a worried expression. "I... I'm in love with you." I finally said, causing a heavy weight to be lifted from my chest, only to be replaced by a fast beating heart.

His eyes widen and he blinks a couple of times at me, processing what I just said. His goofy grin reached his face before he bursts out laughing, holding his stomach as he gasped for breath, "That's a really funny joke, Luce!"

I then felt my heart being shattered into a million little pieces. Tears well up in my eyes, but I blink it away and laugh nervously to go along this so called 'joke' I unintentionally made, "Y-Yeah... A joke..."

Once he caught his breath he sighed, "That was funny! Besides, I'm dating Lisanna and she's waaaay prettier than you. And she's not fat." he grins innocently. My heart sank at the insult and finding out that he's dating Lisanna.

I faked a smile, "Um, yeah, you're right. Uh, sorry for wasting your time." I said before going back inside, my fake smile being replaced with a slight frown. I want to cry, but the tears just won't come out. Once I got inside, Lisanna was there at the bar and I felt the rush of wind when Natsu zoomed past me to her, draping an arm around her shoulders. She kissed his cheek and then saw me and waved. I faked a smile and waved back before walking to the far end of the bar. I sat at the stool and motioned for Mirajane to come over here.

She saw me and immediately brought a strawberry milkshake already prepared and smiled brightly at me, knowing that I just confessed to Natsu. She came over to me and rested her head on her hands with her elbows supporting them on the counter, "So how did it go?" she asks.

I frown and look down at the counter. She gasps and turns to look at the new formed couple and back at me, she was going to say something, but I beat her to it, "He thought it was a joke... And he pretty much insulted me afterwards. Knowing how dense he is, he probably didn't know it hurt my feelings." I whispered, tightening my grip on my milkshake.

"Oh, Lucy I'm so sorry... You don't need that dense idiot, he just doesn't realize how amazing you are! You deserve better." she reassured me, but I shook my head.

"No, I thought he loved me... but... I guess he got over me and went to Lisanna when I was out of the way and ignored... but as long as he's happy, I'm happy." I smiled slightly up at her and she smiled back. I then sigh, "But I could really go for a light shot to celebrate my bravery." I said with a giggle.

Mira giggled too and nods, "Sure Lucy, and it's on the house." she said after pouring a shot of sake for me. I widened my eyes and shake my head.

"Oh no Mira, I can pay for it myself-"

"Lucy, it's fine. You seem like you really need it after what just happened." she smiles at me sadly. I nod and smile back and take the shot and putting it to my lips, tilting my head back. I swallow the liquid and let it sting my throat for a moment, sighing in relief after putting the glass down, "Thanks Mira, I really did need that." I chuckle to myself.

She giggles and was being called over by a customer, she looks at me apologetically before going to her customer to take their order. I smile and sip on my milkshake so it can mix with the flavor of the sake that was still lingering on my tongue. I run my fingers along my keys on my key ring in reassurance of my spirits' worry when I felt the slight vibration of Loke's and Virgo's key.

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

Lucy was still hanging around at that same bar stool as a couple of hours passed. The guild was considerably full, brawls, laughter, and chatting going on. Like the usual days at Fairy Tail. But what caught Lucy's eye was the book Gajeel had sitting next to him. He's going to do it soon. She thought. The iron Dragon Slayer finally took a deep breath after a few minutes and a reassuring pat on the shoulder by Lily before standing up. I watch from the corner of my eye as it all happened and the guild fell quiet as Gajeel walked up to Levy with a book, seeing that Levy would usually walk to Gajeel instead.

Levy looked up from her book at the sudden silence of the guild and looks up at Gajeel with a questioning look. He then sighed and gives her the book I suggested while looking away as he rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. Levy's eyes widen and she takes the book. "Uh... Levy..." he drops the hand from his neck to cross his arms. He then looked at Levy after a short pause, "Do you wanna go out with me?"

She gapes at him, the whole guild dead silent. She stares up at him in shock. Then the most shocking thing happens to him, she glares. Lucy's full attention was now on them, her body turned away from the bar. Finally Levy spoke, "No thanks, who would want to date you?"

Lucy could hear his heart shatter right at that moment and she continues, hardening her glare at him, "I mean, you hurt me, Droy, and Jet and the rest of the guild. How could I date a sadist like you? I only let you partner up with me so you could at least get comfortable and don't look scary around my friends." she said with crossed arms.

Lucy's eyes were shaded by her bangs and she stood up from her seat, looking at the shocked look on Gajeel's face as he was being rejected in front of everyone. His arms now dropped to his sides. Levy continued as the blonde did slow, long strides towards the blue-haired girl who was now standing up, "Plus what's up with the 'gihi' stuff? It's annoying. And who would date a guy who stays at an emo corner where it's dark with his black cat and look like a vampire who can't handle any light-" there was a loud smack of skin making contact that resounded through out the silent guild, even catching Laxus and his group's attention, interrupting her sentence.

Levy's eyes were shot wide with a burning red cheek, looking at the culprit who did it with her hand still raised from the slap. Lucy. The blonde glared at her best friend and began yelling, "How dare you? I thought you were in love with Gajeel, but I guess not. Couldn't you at least let him down easy and not IN PUBLIC?!" She takes a step forward, her nose centimeters away from the others, "I don't know what makes you think you can treat someone like garbage and get away with it. Get out of your little fucking world of books and face reality sweet heart." she said, the dark aura seeping out of her. Even Erza shivered at the aura leaking out of her.

Lucy continued, "No one deserves to be treated like that. No one should have their heart broken like that. So don't be a little bitch and go right up into his face and throw insults at him like you could do what ever the fuck you want." She then pushes her roughly into her seat, causing her temple of books to tumble down on top of her lap and scatter on the floor as well. The impact of her small body caused the chair she was pushed into to fall along with the table like dominos. The blonde glares down at her, "You're disgusting. To think I was a friend with someone sweet and caring." she then turns around to face Gajeel who was looking down at the Celestial Spirit mage in shock at what she had done. She smiled sadly up at him and takes his hand before rushing towards the mission board, snatching off a mission that related to dark guilds.

She looks at a shocked Mira at the bar, "I'm gonna look over this and get it stamped later on, Mira." she says before guiding Gajeel to the doors, not leaving with out a final glare towards the still shocked blue-haired girl, slamming the guild doors behind them.

* * *

**GAJEEL'S POV**

Why did that happen? I thought the Shrimp liked me too... Is that what she really thinks of me? I guess so, I did torture her best friend and tied her to a tree with her team. I'm a monster, of course the Shrimp wouldn't like me like that, no one does.

But then Bunny girl slapped her. That's when I got out of my state of shock. She slapped her best friend. Bunny girl slapped the Shrimp. She even called her a bitch, why did she do that? She stepped in and stopped it, why for a monster like me? Why was she the only one who stepped in? I was the one who caused her the most pain out of everyone in the guild.

Now I'm being dragged by her to some where, possibly her place. I finally was able to escape my daze, "Bunny girl..." She stops in her tracks, not looking at me, "What?" she asks quietly.

I pause for a moment, "Why did you do that?" I finally ask in a quieter voice. She stayed silent before turning her head to look at me. My eyes widen to see that tears were on a verge to escape her eyes and she had a small smile on her face.

"You look like you need a friend... And you're not the only one in pain."


	2. Natsu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

Lucy fiddles with her keys to search for her apartment key. Once she finally found it she sticks it into the lock and with a twist of the wrist she let Gajeel inside her apartment. She closes the door behind him before leading him to the couch, sitting him down. "I'll make some tea." she says before walking into the kitchen to make some tea.

Gajeel sighed and ran his fingers through his hair while Lucy was in the kitchen. Questions, what just happened, and where he's at went through out his mind in a flash as he looked down at the ground. After a couple of minutes, a pair of feet caused him to escape from his thoughts and he looks up to see two cups of tea being placed on the coffee table. Lucy sat next to him and calmly sips her tea, staying quiet.

Soon, he finally gives in and picks up the cup of tea and taking a sip of it before placing it back down on the table. They both sat in silence for a while before the blonde finally had enough, "You know you can talk to me..." she said, taking another sip of her tea.

He sighed and musters up the question he had stuck in his mind, "What did you mean when you said I wasn't the only one in pain?" he asks, looking down at her as she just stared down at the floor.

After a few moments, the smell of salt filled Gajeel's nose and he notices that the girl next to him was crying. Tears rolled off of her cheeks and fell onto the ground as she desperately wipes them away, "S-Sorry... I just... I confessed to Natsu today... a-and I got rejected also..." she said in a trembling voice. Gajeel's eyes widen. He always thought that flame headed idiot liked Lucy, so he was really surprised.

She continued, "I didn't cry, because I knew how dense he was, but my heart was still... so... so broken, it just turned into dust. But... when I imagined myself in your shoes and being publicly humiliated." Once the words left her mouth, Lucy saw Gajeel's face fell. She sighs shakily, "I feel as much pain as you do. All of it..." she finished.

She sniffles when her river of tears finally ceased. "I'm fine..." Gajeel said in a hushed voice. Lucy looks up at him with bloodshot, understanding, chocolate brown eyes. "We will be." she said. Gajeel sighs and looks away with furrowed brows, looking as if he's hesitating to say something.

Lucy pulls her legs up on the couch to cross her legs and face her entire body towards him, looking up at the iron Dragon Slayer, noticing the hesitance just from his body language. "What else do you want to ask?" she asks.

Gajeel glances at her before sighing again and running his fingers through his hair with his gaze stuck to the floor, "How come you aren't scared of me?... I tortured you... Why would you do that, even though I did that to you?" he asks.

She sighs and places her hands on his cheeks to lift his head up and look at the Celestial Spirit mage. He looks at her with slightly wide eyes from her action.  _I've never seen him this vulnerable before._  Lucy thought. She frowns up at him, "Stop blaming yourself for something my father had done." she said. His eyes widen more, "You were only taking orders from your Master who was taking orders from my father..."

"Your dad?" he looks at her curiously. She nods and explains further, "I ran away from home, due to... certain reasons... and he wanted me to come back. It's like he was treating me like an object." she grimaced at the thought of her own father treating her like that. "I'll tell you more about my past soon... but it's not your fault Gajeel. I knew that from the very end of the battle and forgiven you."

His eyes stayed wide until I finished, his shocked look quickly turned into a scowl, "I tortured you even though I had no idea why we needed to get you. I did it for the thrill of seeing some one in pain. I'm a monster, you shouldn't forgive some one like me-"

"Gajeel!" Lucy interrupts him with a shout. "Don't ever call yourself a monster..." she looks down at her balled up fists in her lap. She clenched her fist so tightly, that her knuckles turned white. "Don't ever call yourself that... Ever since that happened you've  _changed_. No one really noticed, but you began to care about people. You care about the guild." she looks up at the gaping Dragon Slayer. "I'll be honest, you  _were_ a monster in my eyes, but not anymore. Even though you always have this scowl on your face and don't seem like you like people around you, but I knew... I just knew something in you changed ever since  _she_ came..." she paused for a couple of moments. "In my eyes, right here. Right now." her cocoa brown eyes pierced into his blood red ones. "I see a proud mage of Fairy Tail. Not a monster."

She uncrossed her legs and moves closer to the still awe-struck Gajeel before wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her. "Stop being stuck in the past. I think the problem is... is that you haven't forgiven yourself for what you had done at Phantom Lord." she felt him tense up, knowing herself that he realized something. He finally sighs and gives in to the embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist. Lucy smirks and decides to lighten up the mood a bit, "Looky here, the 'Big Great Gajeel' is hugging me!" she teased as she let go of him.

His sadden look was quickly replaced with a scowl, "Tch, only this once. Why does your apartment smell like that flame idiot anyway?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

She sighs, "He breaks into my house to either raid my fridge or sleep in my bed..." she sweat drops and remember all the times that she had to 'Lucy Kick' him. She then frowns, "I'm surprised though that his scent could still be lingering around her... He hasn't broken in for two months..."

"And that's a bad thing?" Gajeel leans back on the couch with crossed arms.

"I guess... I mean, some times the rest of my team will come along. Even though it could be annoying, it's really fun. Well, of course I would miss him breaking in, I  _am_ in love with him..."

He looks down at the blonde, "How did he reject you?"

Her eyes widen in surprise, obviously not expecting that kind of question. She looks down at the couch cushion before sighing and pulling her knees to her chest with her arms wrapped around her legs. "Well, when I did, he laughed and thought it was a joke... Then he said that he was dating Lisanna and that she was prettier than me and wasn't fat like me... I couldn't really believe my own best friend would hurt my feelings like that..." she laughs coldly at the memory, "I guess he can't help it though, he's really dense..."

"Tch, that idiot..." Gajeel mumbled, which Lucy caught in her ears from the silent apartment, causing her to look up at him as he downs the rest of his cooled down tea in two gulps. "You ain't fat, and you're sure as hell prettier than that Lisanna chick."

Her eyes widen at that statement. That sentence went haywire through out her mind again... again... and again... and again... as her cheeks began to flare up into a bright red. "T-Thanks..." she manage to say while looking away to attempt to hide her blush. He grunts in reply.

Once her blush died down, she remembers something and digs into her pocket to take out a folded up piece of paper. Gajeel looks out of the corner of his eye at the sound of fiddling of paper. She opens it and reads the mission once again.

**Help! A dark guild is robbing our mines every night in our town in the woods called Sunny Hills near Hawk City!**

**Please destroy this guild called, "Death Maze"**

**Reward: 500,000 J and 1 Celestial key**

"After what happened at the guild earlier, I knew that you would want to get away from it for a while. I was planning the same thing later that day too, so I thought we could go together." Lucy says and hands the crumbled up mission flyer to Gajeel who took it and scans it, "Along the way, we can probably get to know each other more. Y'know, become friends maybe." she shrugs with a smile.

After looking at the mission and thinking over at what she said, he finally nods with a grunt, passing the piece of paper back to the blonde. "Fine. It shouldn't be that hard... I've seen you take a lot of missions for taking out dark guilds." he says.

She nods, "I've been taking out dark guilds for two months. I've did so many that I've lost count." she giggles.

Lucy sighs and stands up, "Let's go to the guild for Mira's approval."

Gajeel nods and stands up, sticking his hands into his pockets. She smiles at him and quickly puts the dishes from the tea into the sink before beginning to head out, locking the door before catching up with the iron Dragon Slayer.

She calls out Plue while she's walking and let's him take her place walking on the edge of the canal, his trembling legs making wobbly, yet quick steps. "Pun-puuuun!" he said as he did a little dance with his walk which caused Lucy to giggle.

"What's that thing suppose to be?" Gajeel asks while pointing at it. Lucy pouts, "He's a spirit." she replied. "A dog... I think..."

"A dog? Looks like a dancing snowman. You got some weird spirits Bunny girl, gihi!" he grins his toothy grin. She picks up Plue and hugs him to her chest, looking away from him, "Shut up, they're not weird. They're unique." she smiles triumphantly before glaring up at him, "And stop calling me that!"

"Whatever Bunny girl." he smirks. Lucy huffs and looks away from him to go back to her small conversation with her shaking spirit.

* * *

**_1 HOUR AGO..._ **

Once the sound of the guild doors slam shut echoed through out the guild, there was an eery silence that no one dare break. Most of the members glared at the blue-haired bookworm who was being helped up by Jet and Dray. As for the others who just stared at the doors in shock.

Luckily, the ice mage broke the silence, "Okay, what the hell just happened?" he asked. Finally, everyone turned to their own table to speak amongst each other about what just happened a couple of minutes ago.

"Lushy hasn't been  _that_ mad before..." Happy said with a frown, setting down his half eaten fish. Erza and Gray nods in agreement.

"I hope Lu-chan can make Gajeel-san feel better..." Lisanna said quietly, but was loud enough for her friends to hear.

Natsu, who was feasting on a large chicken leg engulfed in flames, stopped eating to speak, "Don't worry about that Lightning Rod. Luce can probably calm him down." he said with a mouth full of chicken with a shrug.

Lisanna glared at him for a moment at the nickname, which he didn't notice before sighing deeply and nodding in agreement along with the others.

Suddenly Natsu's head perked up after finishing his chicken and turns to Lisanna, "Hey Lisanna, do you wanna join Team Natsu?" he gives her his usual goofy grin. Instantly the Strauss sister nods vigorously before glomping her new boyfriend and kissing his cheek.

Natsu laughs at her reaction, hugging back. "When Luce gets back, I'll go ask her. Is that okay Gray, Erza, Happy?" he asks, looking at them with puppy eyes.

The three gave into the puppy eyes and nods. In response, Natsu and grins once again.

* * *

**_PRESENT_ **

Lucy and Gajeel were now in front of the guild doors. The blonde sent back Plue and she looks up at Gajeel worriedly. Seeing this, he sighs and says, "I'll go inside with you just in case the Shrimp tries something."

She nods, "Okay, I'll try to make this quick..." she said and push the doors open to only meet a beer mug flying towards her. From reflex, she blocks her face with her arms and clamping her eyes shut.

Feeling no impact, she opens her eyes slowly and lowers her arms to find an iron pole connecting to Gajeel's arm blocking her way and some beer dripping off of the metal. Her eyes widen a bit before looking up at Gajeel to give him a smile in thanks. He nods in reply, turning the pole back to his original arm.

She looks at the guild to meet silence and surprised looks of her fellow members. She shrugged and let Gajeel speak with Pantherlily as he leaned on the wall by the guild doors.

Lucy walked towards the bar where her friends had glanced at her from when she entered with Gajeel. As she walked to the bar, Levy was stuck in her temple of books that had doubled and didn't notice her at all. Once she got to the bar, Mira immediately came to her and the blonde pulled out a crumbled up mission, letting the elder Strauss sibling look at it, "Gajeel and I are going on this mission tomorrow morning." she said.

The barmaid seemed surprised at first before nodding in understanding and taking the book out before stamping the mission on it. She gives her a smile and a wave as a good bye after stamping the book. The blonde waved back before turning and walking away, but was stopped by a very familiar, cheerful voice. "Wait, Luce!"

She stopped in her tracks and cage in the tears before turning around to face the pink-haired Dragon Slayer grinning while holding Lisanna's hand. Lucy give them a fake smile, "Yes Natsu?"

"Can Lisanna join Team Natsu?" he asked. The blonde gave another fake smile and nods, "Of course! It'll be so much fun taking missions with her, I'll get to know her more."

Natsu rubs the back of his neck and smiles sheepishly, "Luce, when I asked if she could join, I was asking if you could leave the team so Lisanna could join." Lisanna's eyes widen and so did the rest of Team Natsu and Lucy. This caused the guild to fall silent.

"W-What-"

"Yes or no Lucy?" Natsu asks, "I mean you're really weak. You could take solo missions to get stronger!" at this, Team Natsu thought about it and seemed to have agreed besides Happy and most of the guild.

* * *

  **LUCY'S POV**

Is he really kicking me off the team?... I mean, I was expecting it, but... he insulted me as well... but... was he speaking the truth about me being weak? I look around at the guild to see several people had pondered on it and seemed to have agreed, even the rest of Team Natsu, besides Happy. I felt myself on the verge of tears. Before I could even say anything, a giant pole of metal crashed into the side of Natsu's face, causing Lisanna to squeak and jump back.

My eyes widen and I look at where the pole led to. Gajeel. And he looked really mad. Even his dark aura gave me shivers in my spine. Natsu stood up from the ground, rubbing his cheek, "What the hell was that for Lightning Rod?!" he yelled at the other.

Gajeel's glare darken, "What the hell  _I'm_ doing?! You're the one calling Bunny girl weak!" he yelled.

Natsu scoffs, his fists already in flames, "Because it's true! Lisanna is way stronger than her! Lucy needs to train and get stronger to be on Team Natsu!"

"She's been training for two months you flame idiot! She's been taking out dark guilds by herself for two months while your team was smothering that white hair chick with attention!" he yelled, getting ready for a hit blasted at him. Lisanna frowns and looks down at the ground.

"Now you're blaming Lisanna?! Lisanna is way hotter and stronger than Lucy! Lucy always have to be saved by us and complains about her rent! And she always hides behind her spirits! She's so annoying!" he yells back before charging for a punch at the iron Dragon Slayer, but was hit with a fist covered in golden light, causing Natsu to be sent flying into several tables.

Loke stood in front of Gajeel with still lit fists. He was panting in anger and taking slow steps towards the recovering fire Dragon Slayer. "Don't ever speak of my Master that way! Do you have any idea how much magic she needs to summon a Zodiac key?! Do you have any idea how much magic she possesses and how strong she is?!"

How much magic I had? What? Y'know what, I don't care... I need to stop this and deal with Natsu myself before Loke kills him. Tears flowed down my cheeks at the strawberry blonde's fury look. I held up his key, "Force Gate..."

"Lucy no!-"

"...Closure..." I swiped the key in the air and let Loke shimmer away. I look down at the ground with my bangs shading my eyes. I didn't bother looking at Natsu, knowing that he was already looking at me, "Do you really think all of that about me, Natsu?..." I asked quietly. Silence.

"What about being nakama, Natsu?" I asked firmly now. "I thought it didn't matter if you were suppose to be strong... or to be beautiful or hot..." I said through gritted teeth.

All of what happened these two months flowed through my mind. Being ignored. Being rejected. Loosing a best friend. Seeing someone in pain... no... Seeing my new friend in pain. Feeling like a  _replacement_. Then something in me snapped.

I looked up at Natsu who was just staring at me with a blank face. I glared at him with tears still stained on my cheeks, my intense angry stare causing him to take a step back. "Was I just a replacement to you?! Was I just a new Lisanna to you?! I've been ignored for two months and all I get after it is having my heart broken, loosing my best friend, having my new friend to get heart broken as well, and find out that my best friend that I've always looked up to... my best friend that brought me here so I could feel like I have a family again hates me this much?!"

"Natsu, at first you were like a brother that I'd never had. When time past, I fell in love with you... I can't describe how much pain you caused me..." I said with a strained voice.

"I don't use my spirits as shields. I don't hide behind them. I fight along side them. Because they aren't tools. They can feel, hear, see, everything that a human can do. You have no idea how pissed they are right now from the pain I'm feeling!" I break down in sobs and desperately wipe away the tears. I then twist around and run out of the guild as tears still streamed down my face.

I didn't know where I was going nor did I care, I just need to get away from... from that idiot! What did Loke mean anyway? What about my magic?... I'll ask him later on. I just need to run away from the emptiness inside me, but no matter what, it keeps sticking to me like glue.

Before I could even react, I tripped on a stone and fell face first into grass. I curse under my breath and lift my head up to look at my surroundings. I was at the local park, but it was empty and looked abandoned. I sighed and sniffle as I stood up from the ground to dust myself off. I walk to the sakura tree and sat at the bench by it, pulling my knees up to my chest.

I should have known. I was just a replacement... a replacement of Lisanna. I don't blame her at all, she had no idea about it probably. Now that I'm not part of Team Natsu anymore and find out my best friend actually  _hates_ me, what am I suppose to do now?

I sigh again at my own hopelessness until my thoughts were distinguished by a familiar gruff voice. "Bunny girl!"

I didn't want to turn around to look at who it was. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. My gaze on the grass met black boots with metal on the side of them and I instantly knew who the person was, panting for air in front of me. Gajeel. I bury my face into my knees, "What?" I asked with my voice muffled.

There was silence for a few moments before the iron Dragon Slayer asked awkwardly, "Are you okay?..."

I shrugged, "I don't know anymore..." I mumbled against my knees, knowing that his sharp hearing could catch what I said. "Why did you come after me?"

Gajeel stayed silent once again before surprising me of what he said, "...You look like you need a friend... and..." My head snapped up to stare at him with wide, puffy eyes as he stared at the sakura tree's flowers swishing in the soft breeze. His gaze switches back to me, his blood red eyes staring into my chocolate orbs, keeping his usual scowl on his face, but this time less noticeable.

"You're not the only one in pain."


	3. New Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

It was still early in the morning and the sun was still setting as the train made a few bumps and shakes down the track. Lucy was sitting in a booth with a temporarily cured Gajeel, and Pantherlily inside to be on there way to their first mission together. Lucy was staring out the window to look at the scenery passing by.

After a few more minutes of silence she lets out a sigh and looks at Gajeel who was also looking out the window. She was getting tired of the silence and decided to break it, "Tell me about your magic." she said.

He looks at her with a raised brow, "Eh?"

"Tell me about your magic. Like if you're able to combine your iron with a different element for example?" she says.

He thinks about the question for a second before nodding, "Yeah, I can eat shadows, but I've never tried to go in that form since I couldn't find strong enough magical shadows." he explained. "How do you open one of 'em gate things?" he asked, which surprised me.

I smile at him and take two different keys off of the ring on my belt. Lyra's key and Taurus's key. I set them on the table and see that Pantherlily began to get interested when he sees me placed the keys next to each other. "Opening a gate has to be done in a different way for each key, magic wise. For a silver key which is not as strong as a golden key, I don't need as much magic, but it still takes up a lot. For a golden key it takes up much more magic and can possibly drain someone like you who's not use to it once summoning the spirit." I pick up Lyra's key, "When you open a gate you always have to say, for example, 'Gate of the Lyre I open thee, Lyra'. As you do that you imagine a gate is in front of you and your unlocking it and it opens while you flow magic into that key. It sounds easy, but it took a year for me to summon a silver key."

"Interesting..." Pantherlily said, "How many do you have?" he asks. I smile and unhook my keys from my belt and set them on the table. "Ten gold and five silver. The gold keys are extremely rare and are the only ones in the world. There are two other gold keys that I need to find." I exclaimed. "You can look at them more if you like." I reassured him when he held his gaze on the keys. He nods and hesitantly picks up the gold key that was place on the table and examines the details on it in awe.

Gajeel asked another question with a curious look on his face, "What did Na- I mean, he mean when he said about hidin' behind your spirits and usin' 'em as shields?"

I frown at the mention of the teen. I let out a sigh, "Most Celestial Spirit mages use their spirits as shields when the opponent directs an attack, or the mage doesn't do anything at all while their spirit does all the dirty work. Those kind of Celestial Spirit mages disgust me. Spirits can see, hear, feel, everything that a normal human being can do. They're my friends and I will treat them as my friends, no matter how perverted or strange they are, because I love them.

Unlike other Celestial Spirit mages I fight along side them and I share the pain they deal with. Fighting together is stronger than fighting alone. Natsu knows this too, I've told him many times, but I guess he just really hates me." I shrugged as if I didn't care, but in reality, it was still bothering me 'til no end which Gajeel almost immediately noticed.

"Who taught you all of this?" Lily asked.

"My mother. Her name is Layla Heartfilia." I smile at him. He smiles back, "I'll be looking forward to meeting her soon." Immediately, my smile faltered, but was quickly replaced with a sad smile.

"Sorry..." I tried not to make my voice crack, "But she died when I was little..." Lily's smile immediately dropped and his and Gajeel's eyes widen almost immediately.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up-"

"No no, it's fine. You didn't know." I quickly dismissed the apology. "She was a lovely woman, always smiling when she played with me..." I look down at my lap before looking out the window once more, noticing that the sun has completely risen from the horizon and it seems that it's already almost noon. "Every night before I went to bed, we would point out constellations in the sky until I fell asleep. Whenever it was storming, she would play the piano for me and sing a lullaby while I sat on her lap until I fell asleep. I cherish every moment with Mama." I turn my gaze back to the saddened male and Exceed, who's faces fell. "How about your Dragon, Gajeel? What is he like?" I ask, a bit hesitant.

Gajeel sighed, "The old man is a pain, that's for damn sure. He taunts me and is a selfish bastard who always tried to kill me durin' training." he paused. "Besides that, he's fun to be with, but it pisses me off how he disappeared and left me alone with out sayin' anything. That bastard is gonna get it if I see him again..." he scowls. I held back a giggle at Gajeel's relationship with his foster father.

A light bulb seemed to have lighten up in his head when he looks at me again, "What's wrong with you and your dad? You seem to hate him."

I scrunch up my nose slightly at the mention of him. I stayed quiet for a second before explaining, "After Mama died, Papa got stuck in his own world of work and never spent time with me. He never took notice of me unless we greet each other when we walk past each other in the halls. On my birthday when I was young, I made him an onigiri while he was working, but he yelled at me and knocked it to the floor. After that, I knew he didn't love me anymore... He even planned on making me marry some rich fat guy for his stupid business to continue.

"That's when I ran away. I ran away so I wouldn't have to suffer being alone with my maids, butlers, and spirits. Of course, being the rich man he is, he payed Phantom Lord to bring me back. I love him and all still, but I dislike him as well. I just... I don't know... I don't really want to talk about that anymore." I said. He nods in understanding.

I then took my ring of keys after Lily was done examining them to take out Virgo's key, I look at Gajeel and Lily, "Are you hungry? It's lunch time already." they both nod with curious looks. I turn to the empty spot at my seat, holding out Virgo's key, "Gate of the Maiden I open thee, Virgo!" with a twist of the wrist and a shimmer of light, Virgo stood and bowed.

"What do you need, Hime?" she asks.

I smile, "Can you get some kiwi for Lily and iron bars for Gajeel, please?" I ask politely. Virgo's blank face looks at her master, "Don't you want anything to eat?" the maid spirit asks.

She shook her head, "I'm not hungry, it's fine."

Her spirit frowned for a split second, knowing that something is wrong with her master before disappearing for a moment and then coming back with a small bowl of neatly sliced kiwi and three iron bars. She sets down the bowl of kiwi in front of the gaping Exceed and the bars of iron in front of the Dragon Slayer. I thanked my spirit before she went back to the spirit world.

"How did you know I liked kiwi?" Lily asked. I giggle lightly, "I always see you eating it at the guild." I replied, causing him to blush beneath his fur and mutter a thanks before beginning to eat the juicy green fruit.

Gajeel picks up a bar of iron and chomps off a bite, his eyes widening in surprise as he chewed on it, "This is pure iron?"

I nod, "Yeah. When it comes to Virgo, she can pretty much supply anything." I smile brightly.

"I'm startin' to like your spirits Bunny girl, gihi!" he smirks after swallowing. I stick my tongue out at him, "You only like her because she's able to provide pure iron."

"Tch, whatever, it's true." he grumbles and takes another bite out of the bar of iron. Lily gaped at our interaction in awe and shock before going back to eating his kiwi.

I sigh, "Wake me up when the train stops..." I mumble after leaning my head on the window and closing my eyes. I soon drift off into a deep sleep.

* * *

**GAJEEL'S POV**

I watch Bunny girl as her breathing evens out and she seems like she's asleep. How can she sleep so calmly and with a smile after all that had happened? Why does she smile even at the worst times in her life? Wait- why am I even worrying about her? Damn, I'm turning soft...

But something about Bunny girl makes me... trust her. She understands me and knows almost exactly how I feel. No one could have ever done that, not even the Shrimp... The Dragon in me just wants to protect her from any danger around her, especially that damned flame headed bastard...

I let out a sigh as I watch her find a comfortable position in her sleep, snuggling her white leather jacket more towards herself for more warmth which made her smile in her sleep. God, why does she have to be so cute when she sleeps?

* * *

_What in the hell did I just think?!_ I yelled at myself in my mind. Whatever it is, it's nothing that I had ever felt with Levy... I don't really know what this feeling is to be honest... This would have been easier if someone could answer my damn questions.

"-ajeel... Gajeel!" I snap out of my thoughts when I hear my name being called and look down at the table to see Lily sitting down on it with crossed arms and a worried look.

"What?" I ask, leaning back in the seat when I noticed I had finished my iron while I was deep in thought.

"You were spacing out while staring at Lucy-san..." he said.

Immediately my cheeks flared up into a deep red and I stared out the window to hide the fact that I was blushing, "I just don't understand her, that's all." I said simply.

"What do you mean?" he asks. I sigh and explain, "She knows exactly how I feel... and I'm talking about how I felt in the Phantom Lord incident. No one had ever done that when they forgiven me, even her. All they would say is 'The past is in the past, Fairy Tail forgives you.' Tch, like that would make me feel any damn better..." I let out another sigh, "But Bunny girl... damn, she saw right through me... As if she experienced regret of doing something terrible herself. I just- I dunno..." I trailed off.

Lily sighed, "Maybe she has. Maybe you two have more in common than you think." he says. I look at him in surprise, but quickly replaced it with a scowl. I give a small 'tch', "Yeah right." I said before looking out the window again.

He chuckled, "You never know Gajeel." he repositions himself, assuming that he's laying down. "You never know..." he mumbles before I heard little deep breaths of him sleeping. I shake my head at how fast he falls asleep and continue to watch the passing by scenery outside.

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

"Bunny girl! C'mon we're here!" I felt someone shake my shoulder and my eyes open slowly. I groan as the sun's light hit my eyes and I blink rapidly to adjust to the light. "Damn, you're a heavy sleeper..." I heard a gruff voice say and I look up to see Gajeel carrying his and my bag. "Let's go." he said before beginning to walk out.

I yawn and stand up, making sure I have my keys and whip before catching up with Gajeel. It looks like I had slept for about an hour since it's still the afternoon.

Once I reached the platform, I find Gajeel and Pantherlily waiting for me. I stretch and yawn again as I walk over to them again, "Alright, let's go to the mayor." I said with a smile as I got my bag from Gajeel. I go to the direction where the mayor was ahead of the two with a skip in my steps.

"Why the hell are you so happy for Bunny girl?" a deep voice said behind me, "It's just a mission."

I turn my head a bit so I can glance at them with a bright smile, "It's because I'm going on a mission with you two!" I said cheerfully and pay attention where I'm going after saying it before continuing, "For the past two months it's been really lonely... so I'm really happy to have friends come with me, especially you two!" I heard Gajeel stumble in his tracks for a moment so I stop to see what happened to only see for a split second a surprised Dragon Slayer, to only go back to his scowling expression and begin to walk again.

I look at Lily who seemed surprised for a moment as well, but was replaced with a small smile. I shrugged and went back to walking to the mansion that was finally coming into view.

When we got to the iron gate of the mansion I pressed the button for the lacrima speaker, "Who is it?" a woman's voice, that I assume is a maid's, spoke in the speaker. "Fairy Tail mages here to help your town." I said. Almost immediately, a maid walks out of the mansion, telling us to show her our marks. I show mine and Gajeel and Lily follow suit.

The maid nods and went back inside to unlock the gates. We walked to the doors of the mansion while taking a good look around. There was a small garden in the front of it, filled with exotic flowers, along with simple fountains, but looked pretty expensive. The mansion was three stories high and looked brand new.

The maid led us towards the mayor's office, knocking on the door and waiting for the 'Come in' before entering the office. "Master, mages are here to help the town." she said and bowed, leaving us in the office with the mayor after we walked in.

He immediately perked up and stood up to take a good look at us, frowning when his eyes land on me, but quickly erased it. What's up with him? I shrugged and smiled, taking a seat on a chair in front of his desk with Gajeel and Lily on his shoulder. The mayor sat down. He looked like he was in his forties and was quite skinny. He also had his brown hair in a comb-over with reading glasses on the bridge of his nose. The man also had bags under his eyes, as if he were doing paper work all night long, and was wearing a suit. I began to speak, "As you know, we're mages from Fairy Tail. I'm Lucy, this is Gajeel and his Exceed is Lily. It's nice to meet you...?"

"Please, call me Kou. It's a pleasure to meet you both." he smiles at Gajeel and Lily, but not at me. Seriously, what's wrong with this guy? I clear my throat, catching his attention, "So, what is this guild called, why are they stealing from your mines, and for how long?" I asked.

He sighed, "The guild is Death Maze. They have been stealing from our mines for about a couple of months now and are taking our coal and minerals to sell to other dark guilds. It has been from one night every week to every night every week."

I nod, "Where's the guild?"

"It's in the forest by the mines down the road from here. If you walk from here it'll take about half an hour to get there." he said.

I nod once again and Gajeel takes over, "Is there anything else you need to tell us about 'em?" he asked, obviously getting tired of sitting around and just talking.

He nods and glances over to me with a frown, "Yes, are you sure that um... Lucy will be able to handle this? This dark guild is very strong and I think she will be just getting in the way."

My jaw drops. Is he actually serious? Does everyone think I'm this weak? I was about to tell him off until- "Don't talk about her that way." Gajeel glared at him before standing up, grabbing my wrist and pulls me up, "Never underestimate her." he said before walking out of the office, hearing the mayor scoff as we left.

I was being dragged by Gajeel out of the mansion and I struggled to get out of his grip, "Gajeel, you're hurting me..." I whimpered, still trying to get out of it. Instantly, he stopped in his tracks and let go of my wrist. I rub my sore wrist with a sigh. "Sorry..." he mumbled.

I smile up at him, "It's okay, I wanted to get out of there too... But why were you so mad?" I ask. He sighed as we walked down the road to down town where a hotel is at and replies, "'Cause he thought you're weak." My eyes widen a bit and I look up at him. He still had the scowl on his face as if he's replaying what had happened in his mind. My eyes soften and I smile, paying attention to where we're going. I'm finally not alone again, Mama... I thought. Little did I know, Lily was smirking from behind us.

After finally checking in a hotel room and putting our stuff in the room, we got to the border at the forest where the dark guild is. It took us about an hour to do all of this and now it's the evening and the sun is about to set. Gajeel and I are now waiting for Lily to come back down from the sky to see how many guards are there.

After a couple of minutes, he comes back down with a serious look on his face, "Two guards in the front and two guards at the back. They look weak and not too hard to handle. There are also three stories of the guild, the first floor seem to be normal mages, second floor is possibly S-Class and the last floor are probably the strongest mages and the master of the guild." I immediately have a plan and get a stick from the ground nearby.

"I have a plan." I said and Gajeel grunts for me to continue. I make a square and two dots to represent as the guards at the front and back. "To get rid of the guards, I can summon Virgo and she'll dig holes under all of them so they can get knocked out from the impact." I mark an 'X' on the dots to show that they're eliminated. "After they're out of the way, me or you can take the front or back doors, this way one of us can distract them and the other can sneak up from the back to take out a good number when their guard is down." I explained, making an arrow at the front and back doors.

I then use my hand to rub the drawing off of the sandy dirt before using the stick to create three rectangles stacked to represent the guild's stories. "While we're eliminating the first floor," I put an 'X' on the bottom rectangle, "Lily will watch outside near the windows if any S-Class or stronger mages are coming down to the first floor so he can warn us both and we won't get sneaked up on." I explained, creating a small circle by the upper two rectangles, creating arrows pointing at the second and third story. "After that, we go to the second story, get rid of them, then finally the master and stronger mages." I put an 'X' on the last two rectangles.

I look up at Gajeel, "What do you think?" he seems to have been deep in thought before nodding, "Looks good. We're gonna need Lily to save up his magic to fight with us with the S-Class and the rest on the higher levels though."

I nod, "Sounds good. What do you think Lily?" I turn from Gajeel to Lily who was sitting next to me. He nods in agreement and I smile. "Good, now-" Before I could speak there was a flash of light on the other side of me. I look to see the one and only, Loke. I sigh, "What are you doing here Loke?" I ask in an annoyed, hushed voice, but then I saw his serious look. I began to get worried, "What's wrong?"

He sighs, "Remember what I said about your magic when I... When I punched that idiot at the guild?"

I frown at the thought of him, but pushed it aside and nod, "Yeah, I was going to ask about it later on, what about it?"

He sighs, "You're able to borrow the Zodiac spirits' power. Your magic is so strong that you can use them, the Celestial Spirit King gave you permission to use this type of Celestial magic, unfortunately he's unable to tell you face to face right now since he's very busy. It had been lost for many many years. The first Celestial Spirit mage had this power and was the only one until now." he takes my hand with both of his. "Lucy, you're beyond strong. Do you know how powerful you can be by strengthening Aquarius' attack by combining it with the water magic you borrowed from her? This power can give you Secret Art spells that have been lost for years..."

My eyes widen at this sudden news. B-But I'm weak... I don't have that much magic! I mean, I don't deserve it! I'm not strong enough!

Loke frowns. As if reading my mind he says, "You're stronger than you think Lucy. I can feel it... Your feelings for us are making us stronger, including you." he smiles at me.

"T-Then how do I activate this 'power'?" I ask.

"Emotions." he stated. "Anger, sadness, love, nervousness, any negative emotions."

"Love? But isn't that-"

"A happy feeling?" he smiles sadly, "Sometimes love can scare you. It can make you sad..." I widen my eyes when I realize that and quickly glance to Gajeel who was frowning at the thought. Looking back at Loke I sigh and nod. "Do you know some of the emotions connected to you guys?" I ask.

He nods, "I'm Leo the Lion. I'm a lion that is angered, angered by seeing the ones I love hurt emotionally or physically. Angered by the memories of the past, especially something about I love." he frowns, "Like Karen." he explained. I nod in understanding, "So it's like anger and love combined?" he nods, "Exactly."

He continues, "For Aquarius, her power is brought from pure rage, I think you've guessed that already, and Aries comes from sadness." he finishes his examples. I furrow my brows and ask, "But what if some of them don't have any negative emotions connected to them?"

He thought for a bit before explaining once again, "They're the ones that'll pop out during battle. They will awaken, don't worry." I nod once again. "I'm guessing that you're on a mission right now... I'll go back and inform the King of explaining everything to you. Ask Crux for books to read about your new power or any questions you couldn't find the answer for in the books to him. Make sure to call me out to help you fight, my love!" he kisses my hand before shimmering away.

I knelt there in shock at the news. I blink away the surprise and look at an also surprised Gajeel and Lily, I sigh, "I guess I'll ask more about it tomorrow then..." I said more to myself. They seemed to have snapped out of their thoughts once I said that, "I'll summon Virgo and we go by the plan, get ready." I told them before snatching out Virgo's key from my key ring.


	4. First Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

"Gate of the Maiden I open thee, Virgo!" Lucy said as she swiped her key in the air. Her magic decreased slightly from summoning a Zodiac, but ignores it as the pink-haired maid was now kneeling next to her. "Virgo, you know what to do, right?"

She nods and began to drill her way into the ground, creating a tunnel leading to who knows where. The blonde peaks over the bushes and watch the guards, "She should be done by now." as if on cue, the guards drop down in huge pit holes with a squeak. She giggles to herself at her perfect timing, feeling her magic settling inside her when Virgo went back to her world.

Lucy looks at Gajeel, "I'll take the back and use Taurus to take out a good number while you distract from the front, sound good to you guys?" she asks. They nod. She smiles, "Okay, let's go!" she said before jumping over the bush, "I'm ready when ever you are!" she said while everyone went to their places.

Gajeel took his place at the front guild doors and made sure Lily was watching the second and third floor, waiting a few more seconds to make sure that Lucy was at her place. After predicting that everyone is at their places and were waiting on him, he kicked the doors open with so much force that the doors were ripped off of it's hinges and sent flying towards the other wall, knocking out a few guys along the way.

He smirks and lets out a 'gihi' at his good work. All attention from the guild members inside were put onto him and they glared, immediately getting out of their seats to prepare to fight. "So you guys are the ones stealin' from the town?" Gajeel asks while jabbing his thumb behind him, pointing at the forest.

"Yeah, so what? It's none of your damn business!" a guild member said, hardening his glare at Gajeel. He just smirks, "It kinda is. The stupid mayor sent Fairy Tail to y'know," he shrugged and scowls, "get rid of you." He smirks, "Gihi!"

At the back of the guild, Lucy used that laugh as her cue after she sneaked in, taking out her key, "Gate of the Golden Bull I open thee, Taurus!" she quickly said and almost immediately the cow appears and knew the plan already, slamming his ax into the ground to cause a fissure and impact to the dark guild members with a, "Mooooo!"

A quarter of the guild members were taken out and Gajeel took that as a sign to begin his fight, "Roar of the Iron Dragon!" he shouts while puffing his cheeks out, spewing out the scraps of metal in a wide roar to damage and knock out half of the guild members.

That's when Lucy caught his eye fighting a really buff guy while Taurus is getting rid of the members who were weak. She was using her Fleuve d'étoiles and wrapped it around him with ease and slammed the man into a group of men that Gajeel was fighting and having a little trouble with, instantly having them all severely damaged at the impact. He smirks at the blonde and she winks with a smile as a, 'You're welcome.'

Taurus got rid of the rest of the members and Lucy thanked him before sending him back after he attempted to make a perverted statement about the blonde. She sweat drops and looks over at Gajeel and Lily who just flew in. He transformed into his battle form and she smiles at him before heading upstairs to the second floor. On the second floor was only two people in a large room with tables and chairs, already ready to fight. One was holding cards and the other had fire lighting up his fists. They glared at the three with a scowl.

Before the three could begin the battle, many dirt and rocky monsters formed in the room. Immediately, Lucy knew the magic, "Doll Magic!" she said with wide eyes. The dolls charged at them and used her whip to save magic from her keys. She grunts as she wrapped her whip around one, throwing it across the wall to make the rock doll crumble onto the ground and reform back to it's original figure. The blonde then realized something, "Gajeel, Lily! Hold them off as much as you can and try not to waste magic, I think the Master is doing this, I'll get rid of them!" Lucy says as she holds off the ones trying to attack her.

"Are you sure?! I can go with you Lucy-san!" Lily says with a strangled voice as he tries to hold off the dirt dolls.

"I can do this! Do you two trust me?!" The blonde asks in a firm voice. Silence...

Then they both yelled with a determined voice, "I do!"

Lucy smiles, "Then hold them off while I go kick the Master's ass!" she said while running out of the room to head towards the stairs, dodging hits from the other dolls. Gajeel did his signature laugh as he knew that the Celestial Spirit mage can do this.

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

As I run up the stairs, I take hold of Loke's key on my key ring, knowing that I'll be needing him to help me with taking down the Master. It was still a bit hard getting rid of the lower ranked members, so I'm not sure how strong the Master is.

When I get to the office door, I kick it open and run inside and stand in the middle of the room, looking at my surroundings. No one was there. There was just a desk with neatly piled papers, book shelves, a normal office. I scowl at the fact that they aren't here, until I was suddenly slammed onto the ground from a force, causing me to yelp in pain. Gravity Magic. I try to get up with as much strength as I can, but I was only slammed further into the ground, my body imprint forming on the floor.

I then hear a maniacal laugh in front of me and I look up with all my might to see the guild Master. He was wearing dirty clothes that are ripped up and he was a very buff man, almost as big as Elfman. He had a beard and moustache and had a sickening smirk on his face. "Poor little girl... Can't even help that little idiotic town." he said in a deep scratchy voice, as if he had a pack of cigars everyday.

"What's your name?" I manage to ask through a strained voice.

He chuckles at my struggling and answered, "Master Sullivan of course!" he laughed. I cursed under my breath as I'm still being pushed into the floor. I smirk, "Doll and Gravity magic, ne?" I ask through clenched teeth.

"Yes, do you like it little girl?" he asks with a smirk. I curse again as he continues, "I guess you do, knowing how weak you are!" he laughs and I freeze.

Weak...

_Natsu rubs the back of his neck and smiles sheepishly, "Luce, when I asked if she could join, I was asking if you could leave the team so Lisanna could join."_

No...

_Lisanna's eyes widen and so did the rest of Team Natsu and Lucy. This caused the guild to fall silent._

_"W-What-"_

_"Yes or no Lucy?" Natsu asks, "I mean you're really weak. You could take solo missions to get stronger!" at this, Team Natsu thought about it and seemed to have agreed besides Happy and most of the guild._

No...

_"Lisanna is way hotter and stronger than Lucy! Lucy always have to be saved by us and complains about her rent! And she always hides behind her spirits! She's so annoying!"_

"No!" I scream out as all the anger inside me sparked and turned into this magic that was indescribable. This magic that flared through my veins and burned in anger, but in a soothing way. Not noticing, I become cloaked in an elegant, frilled black ball gown that sports a white sash around my hips. My sleeves were black and frilly, I wore a black, frilled choker and a ribbon. Around the chest of my dress are more white frills, and around the midsection of the dress are white lines that curve around my bust. It bisect my lower torso, and curve around to my hips. I also sport black heels and my hair was wavy and wild like Loke's with the similar cat ears shaped into my hair, that is decorated with a black flower.

On my right breast appeared Leo's zodiac. This transformation happened as my body shined as bright as the stars with closed eyes, canceling out the Gravity magic cast upon me. I stood up with ease as the light died down. I open my eyes to only have my cocoa brown ones to be replaced with orange ones, filled with pure anger.

My fists lit up in the same bright golden light as Loke's and I glare at the confused and fearful Master. "Memories..." I began as I took a step forward, causing him to take a step back, "...from the one person I loved the most..." I take another step forward. "...Make me angry..." My glare hardens at him and I charge at him to only appear behind him, "And you reminded me of those things!" I yelled and I uppercut the Master when he spun around to look at me in shock, with the golden light burying my fists. He was sent flying across the room into a book shelf and books toppled on top of his unconscious body.

I smirk at my success and stop my glowing fists and run out of the office to go back to the second floor. When I get to the room, I find that all the dolls are gone and that Gajeel and Lily were now having trouble trying to beat the Card mage and Fire mage. My glare intensifies as they both attacked Gajeel and Lily while laughing and taunting them.

With my new lion-like speed, I was behind the fire mage that was attacking Gajeel and I glare at his back, "Regulus Punch!" I yelled with my glowing fists returning, attacking him from behind and sending him flying. I relied on my instincts on my attacks, my instincts to protect, my instincts as a lion as I continued to feel the calming, burning sensation throughout my body.

With my tremendous speed, I kick the shocked Card mage with a golden foot, also sending her flying. She counters my attack once she got back to her feet with a lightning card which I easily dodged with graceful, cat-like jumps. I was surprised myself at how well I was balancing on these heels!

I stayed at a kneeling position with my hands balancing myself on the ground as I wait for the mages to attack me. I growl viciously at them which caught them off guard, "Don't you even  _dare_  touch them!" I yelled when I saw the Card mage trying to attack the awe-struck mages, causing me to jump high up in the air to dive down with a golden foot into her back. She was sent flying into the other wall, making her cough up blood as she lost consciousness.

I watched her pass out as I stood up slowly then I snap my attention towards the fearful Fire mage. "As a lion, I must protect the people I trust the most." my eyes flashed a cocoa brown before I charged at the cowering man with a glowing fist, "Regulus Punch!" I screamed as the spell made impact to my components face and he was sent flying through the window and outside the guild.

My glowing fists dim into nothing as I pant at the intense feeling of lion instincts and anger going through me. Slowly, I shimmer into light as my clothes and hair go back to normal before dimming down once again and I fall onto one knee, now kneeling as I pant.

"B-Bunny girl!..." "Lucy-san!" I hear foot steps running towards me as I look down at my ripped and tattered clothes and I look up to see a slightly beaten up flying Exceed and Iron Dragon Slayer. I smile warmly up at them, despite the urge to groan in pain at the soreness of my body.

Gajeel was the first to speak, "You... trust us?" he asks hesitantly.

I nod, "Of course I do..." I said, "Even though we don't really know each other that well... I think of you guys as my closest friends. Friends that love me for me." I smile brightly up at them with tears pricking the corner of my eyes.

They stared at me in shock. I just continued smiling as I stood up while ignoring the soreness in my legs. I sigh, "Let's go back to the hotel and get patched up." I said before beginning my way out of the room with a limp in my step, mumbling, "God why do they have such hard faces?" Causing Gajeel's sensitive hearing to catch what I said and make him laugh.

* * *

****GAJEEL'S POV** **

After a half an hour walk back to the hotel, Bunny, Lily, and I got patched up by that spirit maid girl. She wasn't half bad at it either and even brought us food and drinks after to build our energy back up. Bunny girl was the most beaten up from Gravity magic the Master had. I couldn't help, but feel angry at myself for not being able to protect her, but I trusted her in defeating that bastard.

What the fuck, why do I worry so much about this girl?! I want to protect her, I trust her, I think she's cute, and I get this weird damn feeling when I look at her. Nothing compared to the Shrimp.

Besides that, when she was fighting, she fought like a whole new person. She was graceful in her steps and I couldn't even catch up to where she went when she ran. She looked completely different also... I wonder if it's the same with the others. But whatever the Master of that dark guild said, it really pissed her off from those memories. I have no clue why people would call her weak after witnessing that battle, she's practically as strong as Titania.

I sigh and lean against the bed board on my bed as Bunny girl read piles and piles of books about her new power she got at the other bed while Lily was sitting on her lap, reading a book she already read about it with her, but without the magic glasses.

Suddenly she perks up and takes out a key from her key ring that was set next to her, "Gate of the Lion I open thee, Leo!" she said with a swipe and Loke appeared at the side of her bed.

He looks down at her in worry, "Princess, why didn't you call me before? You're hurt now!" he scolds with a pout. She sighs, shaking her head, "I was going to, but I was hit with Gravity magic and couldn't get your key. Anyway, did Crux tell you about how I awoken my power- I mean... *Zodiac Bond?"  _So that's what the power is called..._ I thought to myself.

Loke nods with a smile and nods. She continues, "Well, when I was fighting I let these like... instincts take over during battle. Doing that, my main priority was to protect Gajeel and Lily. That's it. No mission, no money, just Gajeel and Lily. All I felt was anger when I saw them getting hurt... I couldn't find the answer of why that happened in the books, do you know?" she asks with her eyes full of curiosity.

The lion spirit nods, "It's the instincts of a lion flowing through your veins when you transform into my Zodiac. A lion's main priority is to protect and fight for the ones that they love and trust. The more angered they are, the stronger they get and harder to control themselves. That's why you have so many books on how to control Zodiac Bond." he smiles down at her. "Same with Aquarius, you'll catch her temper." he chuckles as she sweat drops.

After processing all of this in her mind, she nods. "Okay, I get it now. So, for example, if I were to be Aries, I'll catch her shyness?" I ask. He nods, "Exactly."

"That makes so much more sense! Thanks Loke!" Bunny girl smiled up at him and he takes her hand and kisses it, "Any time Princess." he said before shimmering away.

I glare at the empty spot the spirit once was for a moment before turning his attention to the empty spot in front of me. Why did it piss me off when he kissed her? Tch, whatever, it's probably nothing important...

Bunny girl yawns before closing her book and saying, "I think it's time to go to bed, I'm really tired from that fight and it's getting late." I look at the clock to see that it's almost midnight and I grunt in agreement. I hear the stacking of books as I lay down on top of the covers of the bed and the rustling of blankets, ceasing as I turn off the light from the bedside table. "Good night Gajeel, Lily." she said in a soft voice.

"Night." we said in unison before I drifted off into a dark space in my mind, falling into a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The power is called Star Dress in the manga, I found out, but I felt like changing the name since it's slightly different. :


	5. New Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**LEVY'S POV**

It's been two days ever since what happened at the guild and I feel awful. I was just so nervous, and I tried to use some advise from Evergreen and act tough, but it backfired... I think I took her advise the wrong way, oh Mavis, it's all my fault! Now Gajeel and Lu-chan probably hate me now!

As I lay in my bed while cuddling my tissue box, what happened that day replayed in my mind over and over again. I began to sob once I saw the look on Gajeel's face appear. I can still feel the stinging heat on my cheek from the slap. I wanted to play hard to get, but it backfired!... Is Lu-chan going to still let me read her book? Is our friendship over? Is Gajeel okay?

He should be... Lu-chan will help him. Everyone said that she had gone on a mission with him, but I don't think I was paying attention to anything after what had happened. I just buried myself a grave in my mountain of books that had doubled. I heard Lu-chan, Gajeel, and Natsu yelling, but I ignored it as I kept reading.

I need to apologize to Gajeel when I get back and have the guts to. I need to talk to Lu-chan and apologize to her first and explain... But if I see their faces again, I think I'll just cry. What have I done? What am I going to do?

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

After having a quiet breakfast at the cafe down the street with Gajeel and Lily, we were now waiting for the maid to bring us inside the mansion to speak with the mayor about our success of the mission. Gajeel and Lily had their little cuts and bruises heal up over night, as for me, I still had a bandage on my leg and stomach because of bigger gashes from the Gravity magic, cutting them, with the wood on the floor.

I sigh and began to remember what had happened when I woke up this morning at the hotel...

_I felt the heat from the sun radiating onto my face from the windows of the room. I flutter my eyes open and see white bed covers, realizing this isn't my bed, my eyes widen and I sit up to flicker them around the room. I began to remember the events the other day and sigh in relief._

_I look at the other bed and find that it's empty and Lily was sleeping on it. I guess he wanted to sleep with Gajeel... I thought with a yawn, but where's Gajeel? Just then, the bathroom door opens and I snap my attention to it._

_There, walking out, was a tan figure drying his black hair while only wearing a white towel wrapped around his hips loosely to reveal his v-line. I blush as my eyes travel up from the v-line to his six pack up to that irresistible chest, his muscular arms, and finally his smirking face with his eyes piercing through mine. "Like what ya see?" he asks._

_I could tell at that moment that my face was redder than Erza's hair. I glare at him and then look away, getting out of bed, "Yeah right! Put on a shirt, will you?" I said with annoyance laced in my voice._

_"And why would I do what you tell me? Gihi!" he asks with mischief in his voice._

_I look at him when I reached my bag and see the smirk still stuck on his face._

Thump.

_What's this feeling?..._

Thump! Thump!

_I blush a bright red, "Shut up!" I quickly take out a pair of under garments and a red crop top, a white mini-skirt, and a red fingerless glove, outlined with white. I huffed at the Iron Dragon Slayer before walking into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I lean my back onto the door and slide down until I was sitting on the cold marble floor. I place a hand on my chest where my heart is. I never felt like that before when I looked at someone..._ I thought _, Besides..._ My eyes widen _. Natsu._

_I shake my head furiously,_  No! It's nothing compared to Natsu! My heart was beating hard, my mind was getting fuzzy, and I had this weird feeling deep in my heart that was fluttering about. I just can't put my finger on it.  _I sigh and hug my clothes_. What am I going to do?...

_(End of Flashback)_

"-ucy-san. Lucy-san!" reality snaps back and I realize that Lily was trying to get my attention when the maid came to open the gate. I noticed that I was spacing out and I smile apologetically at everyone, "Sorry, I was thinking about something. And please drop the honorifics, call me Lucy." I said and follow after the maid who smiled back.  
  
When we all got to the mayor's office, he seemed to have smiled in satisfaction when seeing my condition, but I brushed it off as I sat down. Kou sat down as well at his desk and smiled at the Dragon Slayer and Exceed, "So I'm guessing you two had to save Lucy, judging by her... current condition?"

Gajeel snorts, "No, she was the one saving us." he said, scowling. "She made a plan and it went well until we got stuck with dirt dolls that keep reappearing after being destroyed, she had to defeat the guild's Master, then she had to help save us from two S-Class mages."

The man's eyes widen, but it was soon replaced with a glare, "Impossible, I bet she's just paying you to say that! In her condition and yours, I doubt it!"

_Is he actually serious?_ I thought as my eyes widen at the mayor. I look at Gajeel who was arguing with him about this. How I saved him and Lily. I need to stop this... I just can't let him do this, plus I don't feel like staying here for who knows how long! And I will not tolerate a misogynist. I have met enough through these past two months. Luckily, I was able to figure out how to control my emotions connected with my Zodiac Bond, otherwise I would have pounced Kou by now.

I stood up abruptly with my bangs shadowing my eyes and I shine brightly to have my black gown, wild hair, and orange eyes reappear, going into Leo the Lion's Zodiac Bond. I slam a brightly lit fist on his desk which caused a crack and dent to go across it as I grabbed the collar of the man's suit and glare viciously into his shocked eyes. I growl at him, "You listen and you listen good, I will  _not_  have a misogynist talking shit about me while I'm around. Be glad that we saved your damn mines and they won't be coming back. If you still don't believe I kicked their asses, saving my friends, getting a beating along the way, I don't care giving one to you one bit. We're magically drained, tired, still sore, and want our reward. Don't even  _bother_  asking any help from Fairy Tail if you're just going to insult women from it." I drop him back to his seat and find that his eyes were now wide with fear and he nods vigorously, digging through his desk drawer to get our reward.

He hands me the sack of jewels and Celestial Spirit key with shaky hands. I give him a sickly sweet smile at him as my dark aura still lingered around me, "Why thank you kind sir." I said in a sarcastic voice before kicking the office doors open and gracefully walking out like the high class daughter I was. I heard Gajeel catch up with me as I walk out of the mansion, due to my temporary acute hearing.

Once he caught up, we were now walking side by side and he had a big smirk on his face, "Damn Bunny girl, didn't know you had it in ya, gihi!" he gave me a toothy grin.

I frown, "I had to deal with misogynists ever since I had to go solo. It was easier dealing with them, knowing that I could prove them wrong." I shrug, "The only difference is that I had to use force." I explained as I cancel Leo's Zodiac Bond and give him half of the jewels we got for our reward.

He grunts, "Ya, I was about to beat the shit outta him if he didn't shut his trap. Bastard wouldn't shut up and let us get our stupid reward." he says, "Gotta say though, his face was priceless. We should go on another mission."

My eyes widen and I look up at him in shock, "W-Wha- wait, really?"

He shrugs, "Sure why not? It's kinda fun." he said and Lily smiles and nods in agreement. "Since I'll probably be takin' more missions with ya, how about we make a team?" he asks. That's when my jaw drops, "What?!"

"You're off Team Natsu right? And didn't you want us to get to know each other better?" he asks.  _He's right..._ I frown at the memory of me getting kicked out of Team Natsu.

"Yeah, but where did this all come from?" I ask with surprise still laced in my voice.

He sighs and suddenly stops in his tracks. I stop and look at him with confusion clearly on my face. "Remember what ya said to me after you dragged me out of the guild and what I said to you when you were at the park?" he asks with an emotionless expression.

I realize what he's trying to say.  _He wants to be friends with me..._  My eyes widen a bit at the thought. The usually closed off, scary looking Iron Dragon Slayer that strangers are so scared of, wants to be my friend. I frown when I realize how I have no friends like him, besides Lily. I then look up at him and smile, "Let's do it."

He seems to had brighten up at my answer, but quickly replaced it with a blank expression and turns to Lily, "How about you Lily?" he asks. The Exceed nods, "I think it's a great idea. We all work well together and we were able to get the job done quickly." Lily supported his answer.

I smile and thought for a few moments, "How about Team Draco?" I suggest and they both raise a brow at me. My smile brightens, "Draco is the Celestial Spirit Dragon. It fits in my opinion." Gajeel and Lily seem to have thought about it before smiling ever so slightly and nodding.

I grin at the both of them, clasping my hands together, "Let's stay here for a little while longer and go to the train station tonight, so we get back home tomorrow morning! We could get to know each other some more! How does that sound?" I ask with a light blush when I see that Gajeel's smile had stayed. They both nod and I giggle, "But first, I need to make my contract with..." I look down at the silver key I received for my reward and I squeal in excitement seeing the symbol, "Lupus!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know. It's short. Sorry...


	6. Our Day Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**LISANNA'S POV**

Team Natsu has been completely oblivious to the emotion at the guild, well... when I mean Team Natsu, I mean Natsu. Natsu has been acting like his usual self, not even giving a second thought about the guild's gloomy aura and lack of brawls and laughter after recieving a lecture from Master. The only kind of brawls they had were ones that were serious and included magic, which Erza or Master had to stop.

I feel like it's all of my fault for the guild to be so quiet and bummed out... I came back and all I did was cause Lucy pain... I had everyone ignore her and forget about her. I sigh as I drank my orange juice that I received from a worker on the train, Natsu's knocked out body sprawled out next to me with his head laying on my lap. We just got out of Master's office this morning and he told us to go to a town for a while so the guild can try to loosen up the tense air. At the town, there's suppose to be some kind of theme park we're suppose to go to and enjoy ourselves.

Going back to the fight the last time I've seen Lucy, she said she's in love with Natsu... After hearing how cruel he is, I'll probably break up with him soon... He's not the same as when we were kids. He would be always spewing things about 'nakama' and 'family', but now it doesn't seem he's caring at all about those things when it came to Lucy. I sigh and look out the window at the passing by scenery, then to my sleeping team mates.

I hope Lucy and Gajeel will be alright. They're both so broken... Maybe they can heal each other's broken hearts.

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

We walked to the opposite direction of the dark guild in the forest as I held the silver key tightly in my hand with the brightest smile on my face as Gajeel and Lily talked among themselves about who knows what. Once we got to a clearing I run to the middle of it and look around with a fist to my hip, "Perfect!" I smile brightly.

"Lucy-san- I mean... Lucy, why are you so excited to make a contract with a spirit?" Lily asks hesitantly. I turn to look at him and I grin.

"It's because I can make a new friend!" I said before holding out the silver key and closing my eyes. I replace my happy look into a serious expression as I flowed my magic down my arm to travel into the key before snapping my eyes open, "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!" I said with full of authority as a magic circle appeared below me and a thin wind barrier surrounds me, causing my hair to swish with it. I then smirk and swipe my key, "Gate of the Wolf I open thee, Lupus!" I said and a golden blob of light appeared, dimming down until their was only a pitch black wolf sitting down in front of me.

After the magic circle and barrier disappeared, Lupus got back onto his fours and bowed his head, "Hello Master, I'm Lupus."

I giggle at the wolf spirit and kneel down in front of him, looking at his confused expression, "Please, don't call me Master. Call me Lucy or Princess. You're my friend not my servant. All of my spirits are my friends and family and I love them all." I smile down at him and scratch behind his ear which caused the wolf to lean into my touch.

"You must be the so called Lucy that all the spirits adore. In that case, I'm free every day, but I will have important meetings that I would need to attend, which I'll notify when that will be." he says.

I nod, "What's your magic?" I asked.

"I can use Shadow Magic and Telepathy. I'm more useful at sneaking up on enemies or hiding from them. I can also sniff out for any of your companions if you lose them or if enemies are nearby." he explains while looking at Gajeel and Lily before looking back at me.

I smile and nod again, "Thanks Lupus, I'm looking forward to working with you! When I call you out, I promise I'll have dog treats with me, unless it's an emergency." the wolf spirit yelped in excitement before bowing and leaving with a bright glitter of light.

I stand up with a sigh and hook my key to the key ring, running my finger tips along all of my keys before placing my hand on my hip and looking at Gajeel and Lily. "So watcha' think?" I ask.

Lily was the first to speak, "That was very interesting, but how come you're so well known in the Spirit World?" he asks.

"It's because I'm a rare type of Celestial Spirit mage. Like I said on the train, I treat my spirits as friends as for other mages treat their spirits as tools." I smile at the black Exceed who nods in understanding.

"Summonin' the spirit was cool, but makin' the contract with it looked boring as hell." Gajeel said with crossed arms. I pout and glare at him, "Hey! What did you expect? A fight to go along with it?" I cross my arms.

"Tch, I was expecting somethin' better than just talkin'." he said. I sigh and shake my head and drop the subject, "I heard there's a theme park in the town. Wanna check it out?" I smile.

He shrugged and Lily just nods with a small smile. I grin brightly before running to the two and grabbing Gajeel's hand, in result causing him to blush a light pink. "C'mon, we can get some lunch and then buy some dog treats along the way!"

* * *

After grabbing something to eat and buying dog treats that I safely attached to my belt for easy access, we began walking to the theme park and I decided to have a conversation with Gajeel, "Gajeel?" I said. He grunts in acknowledgment. "What do you think of Fairy Tail?" I ask.

He glances at me for a moment before sighing, "Fairy Tail is different. No one is scared of me there, but some people still stay away from me. At first, I thought the whole family thing was ridiculous, but now I think it's okay." he shrugged, then frowned. "But when I saw Natsu, the idiot who always says shit 'bout 'nakama' and bein' a 'family', did that to ya... damn, I don't know. And the whole ignoring thing, that's harsh comin' from your 'family'." he finished with crossed arms and furrowed brows.

I nod, "Same for me, but I'm sure Master had a long talk with them after we left. Hopefully everyone got back to their senses." I said. He nods in agreement.

**GAJEEL'S POV**

After that little conversation, I realize how comfortable I am around Bunny girl. We've only known each other for like what? Two days? And we act like we've been friends for months. I sigh, what's been going on with me lately? It took me of couple weeks or so to get comfortable around a certain blue-haired girl that I tortured, but now I'm here having casual conversations with the one I almost killed and we've only got to know each other for a couple of days.

While we're walking, I notice all of the guys around us that are walking by were ogling Bunny girl. I look down at her to see that she was completely ignoring the gazes. I look at the men having hearts in their eyes and nosebleeds and I glare at them, grabbing Bunny girl's hand into mine, causing them to go pale and immediately look away.

"G-Gajeel?" I hear a familiar sweet voice next to me and I look down to see that Bunny had gone a bright red, "What?" I asked. "Why are you holding my hand?" she asks.

I look down at our interlocked fingers and I felt heat rising to my cheeks and I look away, "'Cause guys were oglin' you." I said and let go of her hand.

She shrugs, "I'm use to it." she smiles up at me. "I just ignore it, it happens where ever I go." I sigh, "But still, you can't let 'em keep doin' that to ya." This time she sighs, "Yeah, whatever." she says with another shrug and smile.

For some reason I missed the warmth of her hand in mine. It feels... cold. Her hand was really soft and smooth too. It fit perfectly into mine and was like it was meant to be there- wait... Why the hell am I even thinking about all of this mushy shit! I mean it's true, but what the hell?!  _You like her_. A voice said in my head. Yeah right, I can't like a chick when I just been heart broken two days ago.  _But are you still feeling pain?_ it asked _._

My mind froze before I spoke back. Well... not really...  _Why's that?_ I sigh. I don't know.  _I think you do know._

I snap out of my thoughts when I felt a tap on my shoulder and I look to see Lily on my shoulder, looking at me with worried eyes. "Are you alright?" he asks me. I blush when I remembered what I was thinking about and I quickly look away, nodding. "Okay then..." I heard the smirk on his face and I knew that I was screwed.

* * *

**TEAM NATSU'S POV**

Team Natsu finally got off the train and Natsu jumped out laughing, kissing the ground with tears of happiness in his eyes. The rest shake their head at him. Erza pulls him up from the ground, "Come on everyone. We're ordered to have fun by the Master at the theme park here in Sunny Hills." she says.

Natsu escapes her grip, "Yosh! Let's go play some games and eat!" he laughs and attempts to run off, but was caught by Erza who grabbed his scarf to stop him.

"Let's go." she says before walking off, dragging Natsu behind her with Lisanna looking at him worriedly and Gray and Happy trying not to laugh at the Dragon Slayer.

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

When we got to the theme park, I beamed at the sight of all of the rides and games that are displayed. I already heard kids and teens screaming in excitement and fear on the roller coasters nearby. I point at a game stand that had a stuffed bunny as the biggest prize, "Let's go play that one!" I said, grabbing his hand and running towards it while giggling.

Once we got there, Gajeel and I sat on the stools at the water guns, while Lily sat on the counter top to reach the water gun. In front of us were clowns with targets and I look at Gajeel who was already getting ready to play. I took hold of the gun secured to the table and the bell rang to signal the start of the game and I immediately pulled the trigger, aiming for the target which I couldn't get, because of a certain Iron Dragon Slayer nudging my arm, earning him a painful chop to the head.

Sadly, me and Lily didn't win, but Gajeel did. I glare at him, "Cheater!" I point accusingly at him. He just gave me a toothy grin along with his signature laugh, after pointing at the prize he wanted. I pout and cross my arms, looking away from him, but I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that Gajeel was holding out a black stuffed bunny to me while looking away. I blinked at him before taking it and smiling up at him with a blush, "Thank you."

"Ah~ Young love! You two really are a great couple!" the old woman that controlled the game we just played said. Immediately, we both went beat red and looked at the woman while sputtering out protests, "W-W-We're not dating!" we shout embarrassingly and I stood up with Gajeel who picked up a chuckling Lily.

We began to walk as our cheeks began to cool off.  _Do we really look like a couple?_ I thought to myself. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I look to see that Gajeel was pointing at something with a smirk. I look at the direction and I saw a roller coaster that had twists and turns with long drops. I paled at the sight and shake my head vigorously, "No way! I'm not going on  _that_!" I protest.

He snickers, "C'mon, you aren't  _scared_ , are you?"

I cross my arms and lie, "N-No!"

"You're horrible at lying." he states.

"W-Whatever! And how about your motion sickness?" I ask with a smirk. He snorts, "I already took a pill while you were in the bathroom at the cafe. It works for the rest of the day."

I pale and gulp at the idea of going on that ride. Before I knew it, I was picked up and thrown over Gajeel's shoulder. I glare at his back as I punched it with clenched fists, repeatedly, "Hey, put me down! Gajeel, come on!" I yelled as he ignored the strange and amused looks from people passing by and the smirking Exceed.

Once we got there, he put me down in front of him and I hugged the black bunny to my chest, glaring up at the smirking Dragon Slayer, "Why did you do that?! I could have walked her all by myself!" I said.

He snorts, "You would have kept refusing to go on the damn ride. I had to use force."

I stomp my foot childishly on the ground, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can-" I stop mid-sentence when I saw pink hair, scarlet hair, raven hair, white hair, and a blue ball of fur flying towards the two of us. I was frozen still when the memories surged through my mind.

Gajeel looked at me with a raised eyebrow before looking behind him where I was looking at including Lily and their eyes widen at the approaching figures. He grabs my hand, ready to leave, until...

"Oh look! It's the weakling!" the obnoxious voice rung through the air of other people chattering as he approached us with a cocky smirk and crossed arms.

I snap out of my frozen state and sigh, letting go of Gajeel's hand. "Why are you here Natsu?" I ask bitterly with a cold glare that even caused Erza to take a step, but Natsu didn't faulter.

He grins, "Master told us to come here and have fun, why are you here with Lightning Rod?" Gajeel growls and was about to charge at him, but I held my arm out and shook my head at him. He sighs and scowls, crossing his arms.

"We're just hanging out." I said with a shrug. Natsu smirks, "Like he would hang out with a slut like you. I bet you just wanted to get in bed with him like the whore you are."

Lisanna gasps, "Natsu!" she shouts angrily, but he just ignored her.

I look down with my bangs covering my eyes. Everyone circled around us from my dark aura. I grit my teeth as I felt the familiar flow of anger go through my veins. I've learned how to not lose control, but I have definitely not mastered or read about stopping the anger go through me and go through the process of Zodiac Bond when facing the cause of the negative emotions. I drop the black bunny I was holding as I grip my hair with both hands, struggling to not go through my Zodiac Bond.

I felt a familiar, muscular hand on my shoulder. It was warm and some how soothed me and I knew who's it was. Gajeel's. Almost immediately I calmed down and let go of my hair, dropping my arms down to my sides.

Natsu laughs, "Oh look! The weakling is mad! Oh no, help me!" he laughs hysterically.

Gajeel growls and was about to attack, but I stopped him again. "No Gajeel! I need to get out of here... I won't be able to hold it!..." I said through gritted teeth. Before he could even reply, fire was sent towards Gajeel, but he was easily able to block it with quick thinking and turned into his Iron Scales.

Something in me snapped once again and I glared at Natsu with orange eyes.

**NO ONE'S POV**

Lucy growled viciously as she glares up at him with her orange eyes through her bangs. The passersby that had stopped to watch and Team Natsu gaped at me. "Don't ever hurt Gajeel!" she yelled at Natsu while bearing her sharpened canines. She tenses up as if she's holding back something, "I don't want to hurt you like this... my lion instincts..." she says through gritted teeth. She glares up at Natsu, "Try hurting the ones I trust the most, you will regret it." she said before turning around and running off.

The Fire Dragon Slayer blinks before laughing, "What was that?! I bet she was scared of fighting me!-" he was interrupted by a pole hitting his face and knocking him up into the sky in the speed of light. Gajeel glares at the direction where he sent Natsu flying at. He then turns to Lily, "We need to find Bunny girl, go look from the sky." he said before picking up the stuffed bunny Lucy dropped and running to the direction where Lucy went, leaving the rest of Team Natsu dumb founded at what they just saw.

* * *

**GAJEEL'S POV**

After five minutes of running, I finally catch Bunny girl's scent, strawberry and vanilla. That's the thing I liked about her the most, she always smelt so sweet, but now's not the time to think that! She could have gotten hurt, who knows what could happen? Why am I even worrying about her this much anyway?!

The scent of Bunny girl gets stronger until I enter an open field with many flowers. There were hills far off with the sun still descending from behind them. Now I know why the damn town is called Sunny Hills... I then hear soft sobbing from nearby and I immediately perked up.

I follow the sound and end up finding a sakura tree as big as the one in Magnolia with a figure with blonde hair curled up against it. I walk closer and see the familiar red crop top and belt, knowing exactly who it was. "Bunny girl..." I said when I was standing in front of her.

The blonde flinched at the familiar nick name and she hesitantly looks up at me and I look at her tear stained face, red nose, and her eyes puffy and blood shot. I frown at the sight of her empty looking... pink eyes. My eyes widen, "Your eyes are pink..." I said.

She looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I shape my hand into some kind of metal mirror, angling it with the sun's light so she's able to see at least her eyes at the slight reflection.

Bunny girl looks at it and her eyes widen, "I-I've found A-Aries form..." she says, blinking away the surprise before sighing and burying her face into her pulled up knees. "Go away Gajeel..." she says in a scratchy voice as I returned my hand back to normal.

I sighed, "Why?"

"Because this is embarrassing... Crying because of  _Natsu_ , crying because I'm weak." she replies with a strained voice, as if she's about to cry again.

I sat next to her and I cross my arms, "Your not weak Bunny girl, I've seen you fight-"

"Yes I am Gajeel!" she suddenly shouts. "Natsu says so, Team Natsu probably thinks so, hell, half the guild probably does too! Just like what Natsu said, I'm always being saved by someone and being afraid to fight-"

"Lucy!" I yelled at her, glaring. She immediately stops her blabbering when I said her name and her eyes were as wide as saucers. "If ya seriously think you're weak, then prove yourself and everyone wrong! Show that you're stronger than you and they think! Have you forgotten what lion boy said?! You're like the second person that has this type of Lost Celestial Magic! Who wouldn't be strong with Lost Magic?!" I shout at her with an angered look.

Her eyes stayed wide as she processed what I said in her mind before dropping her head, looking down at the ground, saying barely in a whisper, "I-I'm sorry... I-..."

Before she can say anything, I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me. I slid my arms around her waist, pulling her frozen body onto my lap. I bury my face into the crook of her neck, "I have no idea why... but I trust ya Bunny girl. I want to protect ya. I don't care if your strong, weak, whatever... I like you for you as a friend..." I sigh, "God why the hell am I even saying this..." I mumble, causing her to chuckle a bit.

She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me, "I like you for you too Gaj." I blush at the nick name. She continues, "All that had happened... I'm sorry Gajeel... I-I just-..."

"Shut it and let it out already... It's your turn to get depressed now." I said irritably. Almost immediately, she broke out in sobs and I rubbed soothing circles on her back as she cried her heart out.  _Why is my heart beating so fast when she's this close? Why is it that I feel sad seeing her in pain?_

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

After five minutes of sobbing and crying on Gajeel's shirt, I think over what just happened. Even though he was being a bit rude and yelled at me, it was his own way to trying to comfort me and make me feel better _. Is he just doing this to repay for what I did for him at my place?_ I frown at the thought.  _But he likes you for who you are, Lucy_. He does doesn't he... He's the first person to ever say that to me, and that makes me so happy...

I sniffle and move my head away from Gajeel's chest to wipe my tears away with my hand. I then look up at Gajeel. He smiles slightly before saying, "You're eyes are back to normal." My eyes widen, "Really?" he nods.

I shrug, "Guess I calmed down... Aries must be connected to sadness..." Gajeel's smile fell and was replaced with a frown, still looking down at me and seemed deep in thought, "What's wrong?" I ask.

He sighs and looks away from me. After a few moments of silence he picks me up and sets me between his legs, causing me to squeak and blush a bright red at the sudden action. Before I could say anything he asks, "Are you still in love with Natsu?" he asks.

My eyes widen at his question, but then I go deep in thought before answering, "There's a part of me that loves him and the other part wants to hate his guts for treating me like trash... so I don't know." I said, "How about you?" I ask hesitantly, "Are you still in love with Levy?..."

I heard him sigh and ponder on the question for a while before answering, "I don't know..." I chuckle, "Our love lives suck so badly." he grunts in agreement.

"Lucy! Gajeel!" we heard our names being called and snap our heads towards the voice and see that Lily was flying towards us. Once he lands right in front of us he sighs in relief, "Thank goodness you two are okay... What happened when I was gone?..."

I smiled down at the Exceed and picked him up, setting him on my lap, "Gajeel made me realize some things. I'm fine now... Sorry for running off." I said and he nods.

"Bunny girl." I hummed in acknowledgment and a black bunny was set on my lap next to Lily by a tanned hand. I smile gently and thanked him.

I sigh contently and lean against Gajeel's chest, getting comfortable as a light blush appeared on both of our cheeks. "You two want to spend the rest of the day here? It's really nice here." They both nod their heads and I smile again. I open Crux's gate and get my books from him along with newer ones. Lily immediately grabbed a book and began reading as I put on my Gale-Force Reading Glasses and started reading about how to control my new magic. I then heard and felt Gajeel breathing deep, even breaths, knowing that he was asleep. I smile at his lack of interest in books and continued to read.

That day I realized that even if I'm just reading books or doing nothing with my friends, I'll enjoy every second of it.


	7. Punishment Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

The other day at the sakura tree in Sunny Hills, she finally read the rest of her books from Crux in just a few hours. The rest of that day she trained with Loke on switching back and forth between Zodiac Bonds and controlling them as Gajeel and Lily took another nap. After that, it was getting late and they both went back to the hotel to pack and go to the train station.

Right now, they just got onto the train and it was midnight. When the train lurched forward, Gajeel's face turned green and he covered his mouth, laying his head on the table. Lucy giggles, "What happened to your pills?" she asks.

"Ran... out..." he groans, making a 'blurgh' sound at the end. She sighs and moves over to the Dragon Slayer's seat, sitting down next to him before grabbing his head and laying it on her lap. He attempts to sit up, "Hey, what are ya- urgh!..." he drops back down onto her lap when a train hits a bump.

Lucy sighs and runs her fingers through his hair, causing Gajeel to tense up before relaxing with a sigh. His green face turning into a peaceful expression. She smiles, "This usually helps Natsu with his motion sickness." she said. Instead of getting a reply, she heard him purring.  _Purring_. She giggles and continues carding her fingers through his hair until he fell into a deep sleep.

"Wow..." Lily said in awe, sitting on the table crossed legged. "You're amazing Lucy." he said.

The blonde giggles at the Exceed's comment, "No I'm not. I'm just helping a friend out." she said, feeling some what depressed just saying the word friend.

He shrugs and crosses his arms, "How was training?" he asks.

"I'm able to control my Zodiac Bond now, and I can control myself unlike when we met Natsu. I just have to keep training with Loke as my Bonds keep increasing." she explains and he nods. Lucy yawns, "I'm going to sleep, you should too..." she said, leaning back in her seat as her fingers continued moving.

Lily nods and lays down, using Lucy's black stuffed bunny as a pillow saying, "Night."

"Night..." she said before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

I woke up from my slumber from the voice of an intercom and the sun shining on my face. I flutter my eyes open when I realize that the train was slowing down and I yawn. I feel something heavy on my lap and my hand touching something soft, I look down to see Gajeel's head on it and my fingers in his hair. I blush a bright red and nudge him gently, "Gajeel wake up, we're here." I said.

He groans in his sleep and I sigh. I then smirk evilly, getting an idea before saying, "Natsu's here, Gajeel." Immediately, Gajeel's head shot up, looking around with a scowl before glaring at me as I giggled at him. "Well that was easy!"

He just 'tch'ed at me and got out of his seat, when he realized that the train stopped, to get our bags. I look at Lily who was still asleep and I pick him up gently, cradling him in my arm while grabbing my bunny with my other hand.

I followed Gajeel out of the train and yawn again, "Finally back home!" I said happily. The Dragon Slayer grunts and says, "Lemme walk you to your place."

Before I could protest, he was already walking to my apartment while rolling my bag behind him. I sigh and catch up with him, walking by his side. "How about we go to yours first and you can drop your stuff off, then we can go to mine and drop mine off, then go to the guild since my apartment is closer to the guild." I suggest.

Gajeel ponders on it before nodding, "Sure, but how do you know where I live?"

"One day I wanted to privately train with Capricorn so I was going to the forest, but then I saw you walk into your house not too far away." I shrugged.

"I wonder why I couldn't catch your scent..." he thought out loud.

Before we knew it, we made it to his house that he said he built himself. By then, Lily had woken up and was extremely confused in my amusement. Gajeel invited me inside and I wandered around, complementing the style of his house which was a very calming setting. He had a fire place, and some of his furniture had metal used on it which really showed how much it fits Gajeel's character.

Once Gajeel finished putting everything away, we got to my apartment which wasn't too far away. I told him that I would get changed and once I did, I changed into something I wouldn't usually wear which was a white hoodie with a black sports bra under it, a black mini skirt, a white finger-less glove on my right hand where the guild mark isn't at, black studded, knee high combat boots, and my signature belt. I let my hair flow down my back, with no ponytail at all. Along the way, I set my bunny by my pillow on my bed to cuddle with when I go to bed.

After I finished, I walked out and locked the door to meet Gajeel. I summoned Plue and cuddled his trembling body to my chest. "New style?" Gajeel asks.

"Not really, I'm just trying it out, plus it's getting chilly out here." I said.

Before we knew it, we were in front of the guild doors. I summoned Plue back and I look at Gajeel and Lily who were waiting for me to open the doors. They nodded at me and I smile at them, gathering up all of my courage to open the guild doors.

I stuffed my hands into my hoodie pockets and notice that half the guild was there and were staring at us. Some said good morning to us which I just smiled at the ones who did, sighing in relief when I see that Team Natsu isn't here yet and that the guild has stopped ignoring me. I go up to Mira at the bar, "Morning Mira!" I said with a smile.

"Lucy, you're back! What took you so long? I got so worried!" Mira exclaimed.

I giggle at her, "Don't worry, Gajeel, Lily, and I finished the job early so we stayed at a hotel to heal up before getting our reward from the mayor. After that we decided to hang out." I smile at her, not mentioning the part about Natsu, and when I said the last sentence, she immediately gasped and had hearts in her eyes. Oh no... those are her matchmaker eyes. I quickly change the subject, "Anyway, is Master here?" I ask.

She got out of her little worried of matchmaking and nods, "Yes, he's in his office right now."

I nod, "Thanks." I turn around to look for Gajeel and see that he's sitting at the end of the bar, eating the last pieces of scraps of metal as Lily talk to him. "Gaj, Lily, let's go to Master's office." I said with a bright smile and they nod, following me upstairs to the office. I knock at the door and wait for the 'Come in' before entering.

Master Makarov looks up from his paperwork, surprised to see us together. He puts his pen down and stands on his desk as we stood in front of it. "What do you need children?" he asks with a smile.

"We want to form a team. Team Draco." I said. His eyes widen in shock, "How did this happen?" he asks out of curiosity. I giggle at his reaction, "We really work well together at jobs and we actually began to grow close together. The first job we did together only took us about an hour to finish." I explained.

His jaw drops at the amount of time it took us, before grinning a toothy grin, "Of course you brats can make a team! I'll add it to Fairy Tail's list." he says, "Team Draco is it? Why Draco?" he asks curiously.

"Draco is the Celestial Spirit Dragon. I thought it would fit since Gajeel is a Dragon Slayer and I'm a Celestial Spirit mage." I answered. He nods, "That's a great idea. Well, I have some paper work to do, so you three can go now." he told us, using a shooing motion with his hands.

I waved good bye as I left the office with Gajeel, and I immediately went to the bar to get my favorite strawberry milkshake. Surprising everyone, I took my milkshake and walked over to the corner of the guild where Gajeel sat and sat next to him. Everyone's jaw dropped when he smiled at me and ruffled my hair. Mirajane squealed at the little scene between the two, fainting behind the bar counter.

I sweatdrop and sipped on my milkshake before speaking to Gajeel, "I think Mirajane found her new targets..." I said. Gajeel grunts in agreement. I sigh and continue to drink my milkshake contently with a bored expression. I look around the guild and notice that Levy isn't at the guild today. Is she feeling bad about what happened? I sigh again at the thought and I look at the guild doors, just in time to see them being kicked open.

An angry Fire Dragon Slayer walked in with flamed fists and a bruised cheek, yelling, "Where the  _hell_  is that slut and Lightning Rod?!"

My eyes widen at the name and I stopped drinking my milkshake when his eyes land on us. Erza and Gray were no where in sight, probably went home knowing how tired they get after having long train rides, and only Lisanna and Happy trying to calm Natsu down. "What the hell do ya want flame bastard?" Gajeel asks in an annoyed tone.

"I wanna beat your's and the weakling's ass for what you did yesterday!" he yelled. The whole guild was silent and I look down at my glass of milkshake, my hand clenching around it.

_It hurts seeing Natsu like this..._

"And what did I do yesterday?" Gajeel asks. "You fucking attacked me!" he yells. My hands were clenched so hard around my glass of milkshake that the glass broke, causing the last tiny bit of the drink to get all over my hand, the sound of glass breaking echoing around the guild. Everyone looked at me and I just stared blankly at my milkshake covered hand. I casually wiped it off with a napkin, luckily not getting any cuts from the glass.

_It hurts knowing that he hates me..._

After that, I crossed my arms leaning back against my seat. "Roar of the..." I hear the familiar spell and before I could react, I was grabbed and wrapped around cold, scaly arms. "Fire Dragon!" I then felt the heat radiating off of the scales and I began to realize that Gajeel had protected me.

I look up to see him in his Iron Scales and his back was facing Natsu, his arms wrapped around me. My eyes widen, knowing that Gajeel probably got burned through his scales, seeing that his vest had burned off. He lets go of me to turn around and glare at Natsu. I growl like the lion that still flowed through my veins did, "Natsu..."

_It hurts seeing the one healing my heart in pain._

Everyone gasps as my eyes turn orange, "I told you that you would regret trying to hurt Gajeel or Lily..." I grunt when I felt the sudden urge to release my anger, but I kept control. I blink away the orange eyes to turn back into my cocoa brown eyes. I sigh and glare at the cocky Dragon Slayer, "My bond with Loke is so strong, even without activating my Zodiac Bond I still have lion instincts..."

"Lion instincts?..." Erza asks in a confused voice.

I nod, "You see, Erza..." I blink again to activate my orange eyes once again, "I have the anger of a lion." my canines grew pointier as if I were turning into a Dragon Slayer myself, "And you never want to anger a lion." I glare intensely at him, the look even causing Laxus' spine to shiver. I whimper at the feeling of anger going through me, looking down at the ground. The usual burning feeling of anger that went through me suddenly turned into pain, "L-Loke... Can I let it out now?..."

Suddenly, Loke appeared next to her and places a hand on her shoulder, "Never turn away from instincts. Your instinct is to protect." he says, but I shake my head and drop to my knees, "No! I-I can't hurt Natsu right now!... I-I want to let it out and beat the shit out of him, but something is wrong... It hurts..."

"But Lucy-"

An obnoxious laugh rang through the tense air and I force myself to look up at a laughing Natsu as the pain continued to go through me, "That's pathetic! Never anger a lion?! You're a Celestial Spirit mage, what the hell does that mean?!" he laughs again.

That familiar snapping feeling touched the core of my magic container and I stopped shuddering.  _I found a new form_. I look up at Loke and he had a knowing look when I look at him with a smirk. He nods approvingly, "I think it's  _punishment time_  for Natsu, Lucy." he said loud enough for everyone to hear.

I nod in agreement and look at Team Natsu as my orange eyes slowly became a bloody red.

_Love and anger, sadness... and now pain._


	8. Lion's Rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

As if she weren't in no pain anymore, she stood up straight and kept her posture elegant as she shined brightly. Her clothes were replaced with a maid's outfit with chains on her wrists just like Virgo's, but she had high heels on and Virgo's zodiac was tattooed on the right side of her chest. Once the light dimmed down, everyone saw her clothes and hair done in a messy bun with her bangs framing her face. She stared at Natsu blankly just as Virgo would do.

Meanwhile, the others were backed away out of shock at the scene and Lisanna was trying to influence Erza and Gray to stop them, "What are you two doing?! You need to stop him! He'll get hurt!..." the Strauss sister cried out.

Erza shook her head with a frown, "No, that weakling deserves to be punished. She's a coward and made Team Natsu look bad, we're suppose to be the strongest team in Fairy Tail." she exclaimed with a cold glare at the blonde girl that's just staring blankly at the dumbfounded Natsu.

_No... not her too..._  Lisanna thought and looked at Gray who was also glaring at the Celestial Spirit mage.  _Gray..._  her eyes widen more and then she sees Happy having tears pool in his eyes, knowing himself that he's unable to do anything. She was happy that he still cared for Lucy. She frowns at the thought of only her and Happy being the only ones in Team Natsu to care for Lucy. Natsu had always talked about Lucy to her and was happy to do so, plus most of their conversations always led to Lucy, much to her disappointment.  _Something is very off..._  she thought to herself as her frown deepens and her attention was put back at Lucy.

The blonde stops staring at the Dragon Slayer to look at the Master who was standing on the second balcony railing with crossed arms and a frown, "May I punish Natsu, Master?" she asks with an expressionless face. Master ponders on it before nodding, "You may, but please take the fight outside, we have enough damage inside the guild."

Lucy bows, "As you wish Master." she straightens up and was surprised at her actions and looks at Loke, "Is that suppose to happen?" she asks with slight panic in her voice. The lion spirit chuckles and nods.

"Bunny girl..." she turns around at the mention of her nick name that she knew all too well to see Gajeel staring worriedly down at her. "You don't have to-"

"I want to. I need to face my fears Gajeel." she said, breaking her poker face to force a frown. He looks at her with a raised eyebrow, "Fears?" he asks.

She nods, "My fear of receiving pain from Natsu again." she furrow her brows before sighing and looking down. What surprised her is that a big hand landed on her head and she looks up to see the warmest smile from Gajeel.

Before she can say anything he said with a smirk, "Make sure to not go outta control and beat him into a pulp." His eyes then soften and he deadpans before leaning down to whisper something into her ear that couldn't be heard from anyone nor the other Dragon Slayers. Whatever that was, it brought her into tears as they pricked the corner of her eyes, quickly wiping them away with a smile. She nods and he ruffles her hair before she turns back around to face Natsu with a poker face once again. "Loke, if you like, you may go back home." she says.

The Zodiac leader shakes his head, his eyes hardening at Natsu who had a cocky smirk, "No need, Princess. I would like to watch what happens with my own magic, I'll jump in if you need any assistance at all." he exclaimed. She nods before smiling slightly, "Let's go to the training grounds."

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

Being in Virgo's form felt very strange emotional-wise. It's like I don't want to smile or frown or glare when I feel happy, sad, or mad, unless I force myself too. Now I have an idea of what it's like to be Virgo, always having a blank expression and using force to show your emotions every once in a while... I've actually had this very strange obsession to giving pain in this form. I shake my head at the thought of the worst part being that I have parts of Virgo's personality.

Before I knew it, I was facing Natsu on the training grounds and everyone was placing bets. The whole guild voted for Natsu besides Gajeel, Lily, Wendy, Carla, Lisanna, Happy, Mira, Juvia, and Master. I was mentally frowning at how Natsu had changed so suddenly and he seems like a completely different person. I shake the thought away and look at my opponent who still had a cocky smirk on his face. "Punishment time?" I ask tilting my head to the side slightly, causing the guild members to sweat drop besides Loke.

"Hell yeah! This will be done in a single punch!" he grins, "I'm all fired up!"

"Ready... Start!" Master announced, the resounding ring of the gong he was some how holding now in his hand.

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu said, charging at me. I dug a hole into the ground and tunneled my way underground, successfully dodging the punch and appearing where Natsu had stood before from the ground. The holes regenerate to how they were before.

He glares at me again as I just stared blankly at him, I take a key off of my belt, "Gate of the Bull I open thee, Taurus." I said calmly, but with demand. Taurus appeared from a glitter of light and he looks down at me, immediately having hearts in his eyes at the sight of my outfit. "Oooh! L-Lucy, you're body looks very sexy today!" he said.

Mentally, I was sweat dropping and glaring at the damn spirit bull. I ignore what he said and point at Natsu, "Get him please." I say as I pull out my Fleuve d'étoiles. I decide not to waste that much magic, so I cancel my Zodiac Bond to go back to my chocolate eyes, flowing hair and outfit I had this morning.

Taurus nods, getting a grip of his ax, "I will protect Lucy's sexy body! Moooo!" he jumps up in the air, raising the ax above his head and I new exactly what he was going to do. I activate my magic whip and flick it towards Natsu who was getting ready to take the attack head on, the whip followed my commands and wrapped around him and stung his skin. At that exact moment as I keep a tight hold on the struggling Dragon Slayer, Taurus' ax made contact with the ground, causing a fissure to head straight towards Natsu.

At the last second he used his spell, "Roar of the Fire Dragon!" he yelled as his cheeks puffed out, blowing out the contents of fire that camped in his cheeks at Taurus who was unable to defend it. Right at that point, Natsu was hit with the rocky fissure, being sent a few feet away when I loosened my grip on him.

I curse under my breath when he stands up with a few scratches and bruises. He smirks evilly at me, "Still hiding behind your spirits? No wonder you're useless!" he grinned mischievously. Before I could react, he sent a fist covered in his flames into my stomach, causing me to fly back into a tree and have the wind knocked out of me.

"Bunny girl!" "Lucy!" I heard the cries of my new team.

I fall to my knees, wheezing for air to go into my lungs with coughs every now and then. Natsu cackled when I was finally able to breath and I pant when I stand up once again with my bangs shadowing my eyes.  _Let your instincts flow through your veins._  I go over Loke's words from our training the other day.  _Don't reject the burning sensation. Let the fury of the lion be free._  I finally look up at Natsu and immediately shut him up when my eyes flashed orange.

"'Don't reject the burning sensation...'" I repeated the words repeating in my head as I let the familiar heat go through my body, containing my Zodiac Bond, as I walk back onto the area we fought at. "Let the fury of the lion..." I close my eyes for a moment and open them again to reveal that familiar orange color, letting my speed guide me behind Natsu. "Be free!" I yelled as I threw a punch at Natsu's back before he could even turn around, causing him to skid on the ground before flipping back onto his feet.

Before I could react, another roar was sent by him, but this time towards me, hitting me dead on. I screamed in pain as I jumped out of the way and out of the fire. Luckily, the fire only burned upper arm that didn't look too severe. I glare at the Dragon Slayer, "Never anger a lion, Natsu." I said as I began to change into Leo's Form. "They can be..." I trailed off as I admired my slightly poofy hair that I really liked and my black gown. "...hard to control." I finished. I saw the smirk still stuck to his face and I felt the sudden urge to claw him to death. I quickly glance at Loke who was smiling warmly and he nods.

I nod back at him, knowing that he's telling me to follow my instincts and not reject it... well unless it gets out of hand. I take a shaky breath and decide to save up that adrenaline rush that I know will burst through me soon if I rely fully on instinct, just like the job with Gajeel and Lily. "Y'know Natsu... I've always told you that I don't hide behind my spirits. I fight along side them." I said and grin widely at him to show off my sharpened canines. "If there was water around, I would have had Aquarius burn you out like a candle by now."

He scowls, and with that said, we engaged in hand to hand combat. Surprising everyone, besides my  _real_  friends, I dodged nearly every punch from him, taking the ones that I couldn't manage to dodge. I didn't really get why everyone was so surprise, it's not like I had spent two months of being ignored for nothing. In the forest far away from Gajeel's house, I trained on hand to hand combat with Loke and Capricorn, but mostly Capricorn to increase my strength and defense. To round it all up, I had been taking solo missions for taking down dark guilds which popped up in an article on Sorcerer's Weekly one time.

Master noticed my increase of strength and allowed me to take a low level S class mission for bringing a daughter of a rich man that was captured by a dark guild, back to him. I found out that the girl had ran away because of him and I immediately knocked some sense into the man. Luckily, he realized his mistake and promised to his daughter that he'll be a better father in my relief. But that mission was a one time thing only since I was late for bringing my rent money to the land lady and risking for my place to be taken away from me. Master had to decide with the First Master and she happily agreed to it which I constantly thanked both of them while hugging Master nearly to death whilst crying.

Back to the fight, Natsu and I were becoming out of breath and he seemed to had had enough and he sent a fist buried in flames into my ribs, causing me to inhale sharply at the burning and the wind getting knocked out of me. My back hits a concrete wall roughly and I fall to my knees, once again coughing.

My life nearly flashed right before my eyes before Natsu pulled out one of his stronger moves, "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flames!" I heard him yell in fury while my eyes were still cast on the ground as I was catching my breath. Immediately, I snap my attention on him and with quick thinking, I activate Aries' form. "Wool Wall!" I said, holding my hands out to cast a thick, wide wall of pink wool right when my transformation finished. I had Aries' horns, warm pink eyes, the same wool dress, but slightly longer and my hair reaching my hips. The flames burned the outside of the wool, charring it slightly before all that was left was smoke. I pant as I deactivate the wall, feeling the effects of my magic decreasing.

I force myself up to my feet with shaky legs and look up at Natsu to see that he was laughing at my condition, "You can't even stand up without shaking! You're pathetic!" he taunts.

Memories began to go through my mind. When I ran away from the amusement park. Gajeel comforting me. Gajeel  _caring_  about me. What he said in the guild before Natsu and I went to the training grounds.

_"Make sure to not go outta control and beat him into a pulp." His eyes then soften and he deadpans before leaning down to whisper something into her ear that couldn't be heard from anyone nor the other Dragon Slayers. "Be careful out there. I hate to see ya in pain."_

My bangs shadow my eyes as I saw the memory of Natsu calling me weak, hating me, rejecting me.

Then I saw... Natsu hurting Gajeel at the amusement park and when the Iron Dragon Slayer was protecting me from those scorching flames.

My anger finally reached it's peak as I let the anger go through me, letting the golden light engulf me to switch back to Leo's form. When the light died down, my clenched fists were now Loke's familiar light. I then look up through my bangs to glare at Natsu when I felt the rush of adrenaline. I crack my knuckles and felt this tingling excitement to finally return the pain I was feeling to him.

My glare remains on the Dragon Slayer as I let the lion inside me, guide me through the battle. I go on all fours as if I were a lion about to pounce on their prey, releasing a low growl I was holding back in my throat. After a few moments of just glaring, "O Regulus... grant me your strength!" I then finally lunge myself towards him, going back on my feet and saying, "Regulus Punch!" My increased speed caused him to not react soon enough and my glowing fist connected with his ribs.

It sent him flying into the same tree I was sent into, effectively causing him to cough up blood. Silence fell on the shocked guild members at the familiar spell and a small 'gihi', as he wiped the dripping red liquid off the corner of his mouth with his fore arm before standing up and returning the punch, "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" he charges at me, but I dodge it and swing my foot to his back, causing him to fall on the ground face first. He shakily stands up and looks at me with the worst glare he could muster.

I smirk, "Look who can't even stand up without shaking now." I said. His face goes red with fury, "Loke!" I yelled for him when I saw that Natsu's getting ready for another one of his powerful moves and in less than a second he was buy my side. While Natsu was distracted, I spoke to him, "We're gonna combine our magic to make the spell stronger and larger."

He pushes up his blue sunglasses with a smirk also placed on his lips, "You're very clever. I expect you're doing one of my strongest spell?"

I nod, "I haven't mastered it yet, but I-"

"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" I caught a glimpse of the thick ropes of flames heading towards me. Before I could react, I was picked up and all I felt was a painful burn on my legs.

"Are you okay Princess?" Loke asks and I nod and he puts me down, ignoring the shaking and flaming pain on my legs. I then grabbed a hold of Loke's hand and the other. I nod at him and we both close our eyes as we kept one of our arms that our fingers entwined together on one side, and the other held out. "O Regulus grant us your strength!" we said in unison as a golden magic circle appeared on the ground below us and our eyes open. Loke's once hazel eyes were a blazing orange just like mine.

A spell was transmitted into our minds as the wind picked up around us and we both shined a brilliant light, I began the spell, my words booming out on the training grounds as we flowed magic into our joined hands.

" _Watch the plains, watch our kind..._

_All of the lions afar..._ "

Loke is the next to speak as we watched Natsu take a step back from the intense magical aura, including the others who had shocked looks.

" _Reveal thy strength and love..._

_With fierce emotions burning through us._ "

I took over once again, finishing the majority of the spell.

" _Oh Sekhmet..._

_I am the ruler of the lions,_

_Come to our side and be of assist,_

_Open thy malicious gate._

_O prides of the plains..._ "

One by one, lions made out of a orange, golden magic appeared next to them in multiple groups like a wolf pack (also known as a pride). They all barred their teeth at their component that the two recognize as enemies, getting ready to pounce on the Dragon Slayer who was in a defensive stance with a serious glint in his eyes. There were at least ten packs behind and on the sides of Loke and I. I felt my magic drain at the amount I was pouring out to create the packs.

" _Join!_ " we said in unison.

" _Li_ _on's Rage!_ "

At that point, my magic began to drop tremendously, but I kept pushing through. Loke tells me to stop, but I just ignore him, causing him to be forced to concentrate on the spell so it wouldn't waver. I kept my grip on his hands as I watched the pack of lions began to pounce onto Natsu and on Erza and Gray who were caught off guard. My eyes widen and then I remembered what the spell does in one of Crux's spell books that was hard for him to find:

" _'Lion's Rage' is one of the most powerful spells of Zodiac Bond. It's easy to master if the owner of the Zodiac key has a strong bond with the Zodiac, but will take up large amounts of magic from the magic container. This spell releases all of the anger from the user and directs it to any Dark Magic or chosen opponent; the more anger the user feels, the stronger the spell. The first time of attempting this spell is easiest to do with the Zodiac spirit._ "

_Erza and Gray have dark magic? What's going on?_ I thought to myself as they try slashing and hitting the lions away, with swords, ice, or fire, but barely did anything since the lions are basically light. The cries of their names by the guild members continued, watching the three get knocked out with many cuts, bruises, and few burns from the lions' rough beating and Light Magic. The lions then disappeared in a flash once they made sure the three were out cold. Loke and I stopped glowing from the spell.

I let go of Loke's hands, who was in a state of shock, and my Zodiac Bond cancels out as I fall onto one knee. Kneeling now, I say with a strained voice, "End of... punishment..."

The last thing I saw were dark, eerie blobs of light surrounding Natsu, Gray, and Erza, to be replaced to what looked like three men. Instead of Natsu's pink hair, there was black slicked down hair, instead of Gray's raven hair, there was wild blonde hair, and instead of Erza's beautiful scarlet hair, there was white short hair, similar to Loke's human form. I heard gasps at what everyone saw before my vision blurred and my body hit the ground. The last thing I heard was a loud, 'Bunny girl!' and 'Lucy!', and two pairs of hands picking me up before all I saw was black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter.   
> I wasn't really good at action scenes when I wrote this (still am), but what did you think? Good? Bad? Decent?


	9. Where Are They?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, babes.
> 
> Just wanted to clarify the setting so you won't get too confused. It's basically after the Edolas arc and before the Tenrou arc (sort of. idfk), but in this story there is NO time skip, no Acnologia, no Zeref, none of that stuff. That's pretty much it.
> 
> \- Queen Pommy
> 
> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

_I was at the front doors of one of Fiore's strongest guilds, Fairy Tail. I don't know how I got there or why I was there, but my feet began to move on their own as I walked up to the two wooden doors before pushing them open to reveal a silent, crowded guild. "Good morning!" I said with a bright smile, but all I received were glares and one particular one aimed from the dark corner of the guild._

_My smile falters for a moment as I made my way to the bar. I sat down on the stool, "Morning Mira, can I get a milkshake?" I ask with a smile. Surprising me, she glares at me._

_"Why would I get you anything? Can you see I'm busy here?" she said in a voice filled with venom before looking back to the people in front of her with a sweet smile back on her face. "What were you saying?" she asked the people in front of her. I look who they were and it was the new formed Team Natsu._

_"Hmm... Oh yeah! And Edo Lucy one time left Edo Natsu in a sand pit in the desert! She was always mean and scary!" Lisanna continued her story about her time in Edolas. When they all caught me staring they gave me a harsh glare, "What are you looking at?" Lisanna spat at me with a glare._

_My eyes widen and I look away._  No way...  _I thought,_  Lisanna has been sweat to me all this time and now?... Why is she?... What's going on?... _I then felt a tap on my shoulder. I turn my body around to be face to face with Gajeel and Lily. My face immediately brightens, but then drops at the sight of their glares. I keep a small smile, "H-Hey guys? What do you need?"_

_"We're disbanding Team Draco." Gajeel says in a harsh tone and Lily gives a nod._

_My eyes widen as I felt tears already forming in my eyes, "W-Why?..."_

_"You're weak. Besides, Levy is way hotter than you, who needs you? You'll just get in the way." he said with a smirk as Levy went to his side and he slides an arm around her small waist._

_"B-But-"_

_"Shut up already! No one likes you, just leave the guild!" a guild member yelled, throwing a plate towards me that I barely dodged. The others joined in on telling me to quit the guild._  N-No...  _I look to see Team Natsu and Lisanna laughing at me,_  Lisanna, Happy...  _I turn my head to see Wendy, Carla, and Juvia glaring at me harshly,_  Guys?...

_I turn my head back to Gajeel who had some how had grabbed my keys from my belt. I try to snatch them back, but he just laughs and keeps them out of my reach as tears slid down my cheeks, "I should have killed you when I was still in Phantom Lord!" he yelled at me as he took off the first key that laid upon the key ring, which was Virgo's key._

_My eyes widen as I desperately try to get it back, "N-No! Don't!" I yell, but it was too late. He had already snapped the key perfectly in two, letting it crumble onto the ground. I sobbed as I try to get them back as one after the other were broken or bitten in two, being pushed or punched aside as I came after him over and over again to attempt to get them back. Everyone laughs at my desperate attempts to attack the Iron Dragon Slayer, not giving up a second._

_He finally gets to my last golden key. Loke. My eyes widen to make the size of plate saucers, "No! Don't! Please Gajeel!" I yelled on the top of my lungs. "Don't do it! Loke!" I screamed as it was snapped perfectly in two. They fall down to the ground and shatter like glass to only mix in with the other golden bits._

* * *

My eyes snap open back to reality when I felt myself not taking in breath. I pant roughly as I try to look around, but it was completely blurry. I blink a few times to see Loke's and Gajeel's face looking at me with a worried look. Images of my dream flash through my mind and I began to sob, throwing myself at the two, ignoring the pulsing pain on chest. "L-Loke... G-Gajeel..."

"Are you okay Princess?..." Loke asks and I shake my head vigorously, tightening my hold of my arms around their necks.

I gasp and lift my head up when I remember my keys, "W-Where are my keys? Where are they?" I look around frantically until Loke points at the bed side table. I look at it to see my belt with all of my keys still intact there, releasing a sigh of relief.

"What the hell just happened?" I heard a deep voice and I turn my head to see Laxus leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. Others in the room were Wendy and Carla who were looking at me with a worried look and Juvia sitting on a chair with a frown.

"She witnessed murder ten times in her dream." the lion spirit said, causing me to have more images of seeing my keys being snapped in two and pull my arm away from Gajeel's neck to wrap both of them around Loke's to sob in his shoulder. "The worst part is that it was... her spirits. The ones who she cares deeply about." he explains, rubbing soothing circles onto my back.

"But why was she saying my name in her sleep?" Gajeel asks, only receiving a shrug from the strawberry blonde.

After a few minutes of crying, I pull away and wipe my tears away, I look up at Laxus who was still on the same wall, "Why are you here?" I managed to ask with my scratchy and tight throat.

"Old man told me to guard." he shrugged.

I was about to ask why until I saw the worried looks from the others, probably wanting to know what happened in my dream. I bit my bottom lip to try to figure out if I should or not, "You don't have to tell us Lucy-san." Wendy said with a frown.

I smile gently at her and shake my head, "No it's fine... I'll tell you... it's just a nightmare anyway..." I frown again and look down at my lap. "...I... was at Fairy Tail. When I walked in I got the usual silence, but they all looked angry at me. Mira was angry at me too and got mad when I ordered something. Lisanna and Team Natsu looked mad at me... Juvia did as well... Wendy and Carla too..." I hold back the tears from that familiar pang of betrayal in my chest. "Then Gajeel and Lily came to me... they looked so mad... and he said these horrible things about me. Telling me that I was weak, Levy was hotter than me... He was even dating her in the dream. Everyone kept telling me to leave the guild and was throwing stuff at me. But the worst part... the worst part was..." I look up and see that Gajeel had a shocked look on his face before looking back down, "He was the one who broke all ten of my golden keys. He kept punching me when I try to take them back. Laughing. He even said he should have killed me when he was still in Phantom Lord. It was one of the worst feelings I've ever had." I said as a tear rolled down my cheek.

I wipe it away with the back of my hand, "But I'm glad it was just a nightmare... I don't know what I would do if that really happened." I thought out loud. I look up again, realizing I'm in a different room and look around. I was in the infirmary. I look down to see that I'm wearing an infirmary gown and I had bandages on my arms and legs. "How long was I out for?" I ask.

"It's the day after the battle you had with Natsu. It's morning still right now. I healed the burns and broken ribs you had, but some burns were too serious for me to heal completely." Wendy answered. Images of what happened yesterday then flashed through my mind, who were those people? "Where are they?" I ask suddenly, looking at everyone.

"They're tied up in the guild hall. We can't budge the info out of them." Laxus replied.

"You mean, what happened yesterday really?..."

"Yeah, they were fakes. Dark mages. They weren't the real Natsu, Gray, and Erza." he said and I felt a wash of relief, but that was soon taken over with anger.

The blankets that were on me were soon pushed off and I swung my legs over to the side. "Lucy-san! I don't think you should be standing up-"

"I'm fine! Besides..." I cracked my knuckles, "...my best friends are more important right now." I said. "Maybe I can knock some sense into them and make them spill." I said with a blank expression.

"Gihi! I like this side of you Bunny girl!" I felt a big hand ruffle my hair and I slap it away with a pout and blush. "Shut up!" I said and turned to Loke. "You can go now, unless you want to enjoy the show?"

The lion spirit chuckles and nods, "I'm up for a little show from Princess." he said, opening the door for me. I smile in thanks and walk out with Gajeel and the others to the guild hall. Everyone turns to me and smiles, yelling my name. I frown and simply ignore them since sadly, they weren't fakes and were also ignoring me, which hurt me even more. They ignored me and now they probably think it's okay to treat me like they usually would with others when I'm injured, knowing how they are, they would probably go back to ignoring me when I'm completely healed. They frown at me as I approach the three men sitting on the floor with cocky smirks.

The three looked like they were in their thirties and they all licked their lips at the sight of me. "Oh-hoho, looky here boys! Once we get out of these ropes, we need to get a piece of that!" the blonde said with a big smirk. I look at him in disgust, hearing a vicious growl from next to me and I look up to see Gajeel glaring down at them. I look back at the three to see that they were slightly paled.

I sigh and catch their attention by nudging one of them with my foot, "Where are my friends?" I ask.

"If I get a piece of that, maybe I'll tell you." the one with white hair said with lustful eyes. A tick mark forms on my forehead before I smirk with my eyes shaded, "Ah, so you won't mind if I force it out of you?" I ask in a low tone. They all chuckle at my low tone until I glared at them through my bangs, causing them all to shiver at my gaze.

Surprising all of them, I lift my head and smile sweetly. "Punishment time." I said before closing my eyes and going into my poker face, a bright golden light emits from me as I change into Virgo's Zodiac Bond. The maid costume, chains, blood red eyes, a messy bun, and Virgo's zodiac tattooed on my right breast, appear just like before. I give them a blank stare as they drool over me. I turn to look at Gajeel and bow out of a habit in this form, "Gajeel-sama, can you put metal on my shoe please?" I ask while lifting my foot to him a bit.

He looks at me with a curious look, but does it anyway, covering it completely with rock solid metal. I force a small smile at the sight and the thought of my plan. "Don't strain yourself Lucy-san. You already used a lot of magic." Wendy said in a worried voice. I turn my head towards her, "Don't worry Wendy-sama, I'm not using that much magic." I said before looking back at the nose bleeding dark mages. "Tell me where my friends are, or else I'll have to give you severe suffering." I said.

"Hah! Like we would tell a girl with weird magic that!" the blonde one yelled at me, "Besides, I bet they're already dead-" he was interrupted by my metal foot colliding into his groin from a harsh kick, leaving my foot remaining their so he can take the force fully.

"Weird magic you say?" I ask, only to hear nothing from the pale white mage. "They're dead you say?" I ask and to only hear deadly silence once again. "I warned you. Now tell me where they are." I commanded calmly as I force a glare at the man. He falls down onto the ground and shivers in pain from the bone crushing kick. I sigh when I realize that he won't be talking for a while from the pain that I shot through him. "They're too stubborn to die y'know. They would never die by something this ridiculous."

I switch my gaze towards the man with slicked down black hair who squeaked when I looked at him, waiting for an answer. He shakes his head before attempting a smirk, "L-L-Like I would tell a girl like you! You only were able to break his dick because of that metal on your shoe! You're actually weak aren't you?!" he said and laughs maniacally.

I felt that familiar snapping feeling and light emits from me once again. I change into Leo's Zodiac Bond, my clothes changing into the black gown and high heels, my hair becoming wild and having the familiar cat ears, along with Leo's zodiac on my right breast and orange eyes. In a blink of an eye, my hand was grasping around the scrawny man's neck, lifting him up into the air, "Wrong answer." I tighten my grip around his neck, causing him to cry out in pain. "Either tell me where they are, or you'll regret messing with a lion."

"N-No! I won't tell you!" he yelled with a strained voice.

My glare darkens and I consume myself in my lion instincts, growling deeply before tightening my grip on his neck then throw him onto the ground. I saw him smirk. But the smirk looked familiar. It was the smirk Natsu had during the battle we had. My orange eyes intensified as I clenched my hands into fists and felt adrenaline pump through me. Once he sat up again, I swung my foot into the side of his head and sent him flying towards the bar, letting him crash right into the mugs and plates that shattered onto the ground. "Now I'm mad..." I said with gritted teeth and switch my gaze towards the shivering, short white haired dark mage. I walk towards him, getting my leg ready for a powerful hit once I was in front of him, "Three seconds before I give you the same pain the blonde had."

He shakes his head, "W-Wait no!-"

"One..."

"N-No please! Don't!-"

"Two..."

"Fine I'll tell you! I'll tell you! They're at the-"

Before he could answer, the guild doors were pushed open. I look up and snap my attention to the sudden movement of the doors. My eyes widen at the person standing there who had a shocked look and slightly puffy eyes. The person was looking at me and her gaze switched to the man I kicked in the groin earlier, to the one that was speaking, and finally to the trashed bar. Her puffy eyes went back to me as her blue hair swished through the breeze that blew in from the opened guild doors.

The person was none other than the bookworm, Levy.


	10. He Won't Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_"Three seconds before I give you the same pain the blonde had."_

_He shakes his head, "W-Wait no!-"_

_"One..."_

_"N-No please! Don't!-"_

_"Two..."_

_"Fine I'll tell you! I'll tell you! They're at the-"_

_Before he could answer, the guild doors were pushed open. I look up and snap my attention to the sudden movement of the doors. My eyes widen at the person standing there who had a shocked look and slightly puffy eyes. The person was looking at me and her gaze switched to the man I kicked in the groin earlier, to the one that was speaking, and finally to the trashed bar. Her puffy eyes went back to me as her blue hair swished through the breeze that blew in from the opened guild doors._

_The person was none other than the bookworm, Levy._

"L-Lu-chan?... M-Minna?... W-What's going on?..." she asks, her eyes widening as she took in the scene before her. I didn't answer and stared at her puffy eyes.  _Why was she crying? She was the one who hurt someone with little shame, so why?_

I shake my head out of my thoughts before sighing, "Levy," I say, not bothering to add -chan since this is a serious matter, "these three dark mages were pretending to be Natsu, Erza, and Gray. They've been kidnapped." I say, getting straight to the point.

Her eyes were now as wide as saucers, "Do you know where they are?" she asks, ignoring Droy's and Jet's worried questions being thrown at her. "We were just getting there..." I said before turning back to the still shivering impostor, "Speak." I command in a low tone, causing him to flinch. He just stared up at me with eyes full of fear, my patience getting the best of me, I kick him in the chest to force him down on the ground, stomping my foot on the same area to knock the wind out of him, "Tell me where the hell they are, damn it!" I roar out as my orange eyes glared at him.

"I-I'll give you hints... y-you know this person very well, they're the one that took them. The person wants y-you, Heartfilia-san... t-the place... y-you know very well, t-this place is filled with a dark p-past..." he stutters. I continue to stare at him,  _Dark past? And how does he know that-_  I gasp when I realize who it is. My hand shakily reaches up to my mouth, covering it as my eyes blew as wide as saucers. _Not him..._

* * *

**? POV**

"Sir, your identity and the place where the hostages are in have been compromised." a man in a cloak said, bowing down to the man staring out the window as he sat on his chair, facing opposite from the cloaked man. "Should we eliminate all of them? Sir, if they come here, the plan won't-"

"Shut up!" the man in the chair yelled, shutting up the cloaked one immediately. Finally, the man in the chair turned around, letting his eyes be shadowed. "It's perfect... she'll come here on her own. While we're eliminating the others, we'll drug her and snatch her away." he explained calmly.

"As you wish sir..." he replied in a skeptical tone, "Sir, we don't know how strong she is-"

"She's weak obviously! Celestial Spirit mages are nothing, but bugs that you step on. They use spirits as shields, not as 'family'." he growled out in frustration, "Now go prepare! Even though my property is large, they can get here sooner than we think."

He nods and bows once more before exiting the office.

"I won't stop... Lucy..." he said as he stared out the window and looked down at the dirt road that leads to the gates where you enter.

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

_He's coming back..._  I thought,  _Why won't he stop?..._  "W-Why?..." I thought out loud. The anger began to surge through me as I thought about being chased by him all through my life until the day he dies. The built up anger turns into my magic as my glowing hands turned from a beautiful golden to a threatening blood red before walking over to the wall of the guild beside the doors. Being blurred by my anger, I punch it right through, the wood around the hole I made being burnt, as if it was hit by a blast. I take my fist out as tears stream down my cheeks and I cancel out my Zodiac Bond. I sank to my knees and began to sob, "N-No..." I hear the stomping of feet behind me and I don't bother to look, already knowing it's Gajeel and Loke.

"Bunny girl, what's going on? Where are they?" he asks as he kneels beside me, I don't reply as I just stare at the wall with tears still flowing out like a river. When I don't answer, he puts his hand on my shoulder to gently turn me so I'm facing him, before cupping my cheeks and lifting my head up so I can look at him. He wipes away the last drops of tears with his thumbs before questioning again, "What's going on?" he asks again, his voice being a little more calm than before.

As I stared into his blood red eyes, my tense muscles relax. The fierce gaze was intense, yet calming and I couldn't look away, they put me at ease for some reason. His eyes were full of worry and were gentle, but some where in there, there was anger. Taking a shaky breath, I say one word that will answer the questions in everyone's minds, "Jude."

His eyes widen at the name. The name that made me feel the most pain in my life. The name that nearly killed my guild mates. The name that almost made Gajeel kill me. Shocking me, he pulls me in a tight hug. First I didn't react, but after a few moments I returned the embrace fully, gripping the fabric in my fists until my knuckles turned white as I sobbed into his chest. "What does he want from me?... Why won't he just give up?..." I manage to sob out as Gajeel stroked my hair soothingly in an attempt to calm me down.

After I stopped my crying, I finally pull away and turn my head to see that everyone in the guild was looking at me with a serious look. They wanted to fight. They all wanted to get them back. I managed a weak smile before I began to rise to my feet. I turn my head to the side to see that Loke was standing there, staring at the ground with eyes blown wide, "Loke? W-What's wrong?" I ask, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder.

He seems to have calmed down and looked at me, "What you just did... the Regulus turned red..." he said. I blink at him in confusion before my eyes widen when I remember I was being blurred with anger and hit the wall, "W-Why did it do that?..." I ask.

"You're the one chosen to wield it..." due to my enhanced hearing, I was able to hear those words being mumbled out.

"Loke, what do you mean?" I ask, panicking. He sighs before looking at me dead in the eye, "After all of this, we need to meet the Celestial Spirit King. I can't discuss it with you right now... for now it's classified for everyone..." he replied. Knowing that it has to do with something very important in the Celestial Spirit World, I nod in understanding.  _What does he mean? What am I able to wield?_  I thought to myself.

I shake off my thoughts before looking at the guild members, before looking up at Master, who was standing on the railing of the second floor, "Master. We need to go to the Heartfilia Mansion.  _Now._ I will end this, I will end Jude's actions being inflicted towards Fairy Tail." I said with a fierce glint in my eyes.

Master sighs and nods, "Do what you need. Just know that we will all be fighting beside you. We will all end this." he said with a warm smile. I return the smile before he yells, "Alright brats, you have fifteen minutes until you get to the train station! Go save Natsu, Gray, and Erza! Laxus?" he turns his head towards his grand son.

The blonde sighs, "I'll go. I'm getting fed up with this bastard messing with Blondie and the guild..." he says as he teleports himself to the front doors of the guild with a zap of lightning.

"Now go! They probably know that we're on our way there!" Master yells, causing a stampede of guild members to run out with a battle cry, leaving a cloud of dust behind their running figures and a strike of lightning of Laxus teleporting to the train station. The only people left were me, Gajeel, Pantherlily, Wendy, Carla, and Levy.

"L-Lu-chan? Gajeel?..." Levy approaches Gajeel and I, casting her eyes down to the ground. I look at her with a curious look along with Gajeel who just frowned and raised an eyebrow, until she spoke again, "After all of this... c-can I speak with you two privately?" she asks. I look up at Gajeel and our eyes meet. We have a little agreement through eye contact and I turn back to Levy before saying, "Sure."

Levy perks up and lifts her head and gives a small smile to Gajeel and I, "Thank you... I'll fight my hardest Lu-chan!" she said confidently before running out of the guild doors. I look up at Gajeel worriedly and see that he had spaced out with his brows furrowed.

"Lucy-san?" I hear a familiar voice and look to see that it was Wendy, "Are you going to be okay?" she said, glancing at my bandages.

I smile down at her before patting her head, "Don't worry Wendy, they don't really hurt any more. We should get going though, you and Carla can go ahead." I said. She nods, smiling back before flying off with Carla on her back. I look at Gajeel to see that he's still in his own little world. Pantherlily was poking his face with a frown, but had no luck at waking the Dragon Slayer up. I tug the base of his shirt, "Gajeel, we need to go." I said, finally snapping him out of it. He grunts with a nod before running with me out the doors and towards the train station as Pantherlily flew above us.  _This ends now father..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is so short. The next chapters will be a bit longer. <3


	11. Turnin' Soft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

**? POV**

It was dark. All I felt was metal gripping my wrists and tearing through my skin as I tried to pull out of it for the hundredth time as more blood began to drip out of the reopened wound from my wrists. I would Re-quip to a sword to cut it off, but I couldn't, the cuffs that connected to chains above my head kept me from using magic.

It has been two months since that mission, ever since the three of us were so easily kidnapped by letting our guard down. We were so easily knocked out and captured... the only questions that I have are, are Lisanna and Happy okay? Where are the other two? Is Fairy Tail under attack? Is anyone coming to save us?

I have felt their magical power. Three specifically have high magical levels that can even match Jellal's or even Ultear's. They have fed me and bathed me, but never treated the wounds they have inflicted on me when I demanded answers from them, not obeying their orders, or the wounds on my wrists from all of the tugging.

_Fairy Tail... Please save us..._

* * *

**Back to the Fairy Tail members...**

Everyone in Fairy Tail is silently riding the train to the Heartfilia Konzern as they all thought about their kidnapped friends and what Jude is planning. Everyone had a frown plastered on their faces, well... besides a certain fuming blonde.

Lucy was sitting next to Gajeel with Lily in front of him and on the other seat sat Laxus and Freed. Luckily, Gajeel and Laxus had motion sickness pills, thanks to Wendy. Laxus was listening to music with one eye open as he watched the other blonde, Freed was looking at her from his book, and Gajeel and Lily were looking at her worriedly. Lucy sat with her hands clenched into fists on the table as she stared down at it while gritting her teeth, mumbling incoherent words and curses.

Everyone sweat drops when her nails dug into the wood in the table, scraping a thin layer of wood right off when she moves her hand down, giving the table visible claw marks. "I'm gonna rip his precious little mustache off..." she growled out.

"Bunny-girl, try to calm down a little." Gajeel said, patting her shoulder, "We're almost there, so chill."

She visibly relaxes before sighing and leaning back in her seat. "This is the second time... I even spoke to him. Doesn't he know when to quit it?"

"Lucy-san, why does your father want you?" Freed asks.

Lucy sighs, "It's probably to make me marry a fat, gross, business man so his business can grow. But I made it clear that I did not want to get married by who ever he chooses, did not want to be rich, and did not want to be a pretty little princess. I keep having this gut feeling that he wants something else from me... I just don't know, but I definitely know he's trying to lure me in using Natsu, Gray, and Erza." she explained.

"Do you have a plan? You're the only one who knows the way around at the Heartfilia Konzern." he asks.

"Of course I do, but we're going to need to fight hard once we get there." she told him with a serious look, "It's a prediction, since the three bastards in the back didn't know anything besides their orders according to Master, but he might have tons of mages trying to stop us once we get there... I'll be using a couple of my spirits to gather information while we're fighting. I'm still drawing out the plan in my head, but it's getting together. I'll discuss it with everyone once we get off this train." she says.

"Do you have an idea where the three are?" he asks.

She shakes her head, "Not a clue, that's why I'm gonna gather information while we fight. I can use Gemini to turn into one of the mages to sneak in and get information while Lupus can go in the shadows and find where Natsu, Erza, and Gray are." she explains.

He nods before going back to his book.

Lucy's eye brows furrowed as she drew out the plan in her head, her eyes turned to the window to watch the blurred images of the passing by scenery. The blonde had to admit, she was scared, she was...  _terrified_. Why is he coming back? She thought that she made it clear that she didn't want to come back. She shivered at the thought of him trying to make her marry that fat, dirty man. She clearly stated she didn't want money or frilly dresses. And she most definitely did not want to be a heir.

She was also getting worried and scared about the reaction Loke had when her Regulus had became red. He was shocked, but what worried her most was that he had so much fear in his eyes. What was he exactly keeping from her? Why did her Regulus turn red? Why was he scared?

Some how seeing the mixed negative emotions on her face, Gajeel placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder in hopes of her to feel at least a little better. The blonde looks at the worried Dragon Slayer and gave him a grateful smile before turning back to the blurry imaged passing by in the window.

All she's able to do right now as she wrote out a plan in her mind was to pray to the stars that her friends will stay safe and that her father will not harm her three precious friends.

**GAJEEL'S POV**

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat as thoughts about the events that will happen soon enter my mind. It raced from what the bastard wanted from Bunny-girl and to what will happen to her. Will she be okay? Will she be tortured like I did to her in Phantom Lord?...

Why the hell am I even worrying so much? She's just a friend, strong, and can take care of herself.  _Damn, you really are dense._  I tensed at the voice in my head. I knew immediately that it was my inner Dragon that was talking to me.  _The one and only! Gihi!_

What the hell do ya mean I'm dense? I'm not that flame-headed idiot.  _We both know that you don't want to be just her friend._  What does that mean? Bunny's my fuckin' friend, nothin' more, nothin' less.  _Quit lyin' to yourself._  I'm not lying, fuck off already!

_Just look at her, idiot. Beautiful ain't she? Try asking that question to yourself again later._  And with that, the voice left my mind. I look over to Bunny out of the corner of my eye.

The sun shining through the window was making her golden locks look silkier and smoother than usual as she looked out at the blurry images passing by, deep in thought. Getting a good look of her now, she was... beautiful. Her brown eyes shined from the sun's light and her skin was a milky white. No matter how many times I remind myself that she was strong and she could take care of herself, I can't help, but think that her delicate body would crumble under my touch if I touched her the wrong way.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks and I quickly avert my eyes from my partner as my heart's beating picked up. I kind of regretted moving my gaze away from her, because my eyes ended up looking into amused, orange eyes from none other than my Exceed, Pantherlily. He had a little smirk on his face and I immediately scowl at him, giving a 'tch' as I look away as I try to get rid of the damn blush on my face from what I was thinking about.

Damn it, I'm turnin' soft...

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

Half way through the train ride, Lucy had gathered the members who had came to help, including the Master, in an empty storage car. After Levy and Freed had put powerful runes in the train car, just for safety matters, she had been given a Light Pen from Mirajane to draw out her plan for everyone to see. The blonde made sure they were all paying attention before drawing out a map of the whole area of the Heartfilia Konzern and a separate map for the inside of the well known mansion. "The estate reaches all the way up to a mountain, but I'm sure that the people my father had paid from this mystery guild would only be in the area of the mansion and near the entrance of the Heartfilia Konzern.

"I also have a couple of predictions of where Natsu and the others could be, but I'm not exactly sure, that's why I'll have Gajeel and Wendy go with my spirit, Lupus. He can take you two into the shadows, and with his help you can track the three down. I'm positive there will be guards, so stay hidden. You two will be gathering information with Lupus on how many enemies are in the inside, while I send Gemini to copy one of the enemies to gather extra info. If anything were to go wrong and you're somehow found, you two know what to do. You'll be the first ones sent out while we're still a safe distance from the mansion." Wendy nods in determination, while Gajeel just grunted with a scowl, most likely because he didn't get to fight anything.

The Celestial Spirit wizard turns to the Exceeds, "I need Happy and Carla to stay with me, and Lily to help out fight with the weaker mages and ones that possibly don't use magic." They all nod along with an 'Aye sir!' from a determined blue Exceed.

Looking at Levy and Freed, she put on a soft look, "If it's possible, can either of you two put runes around my mother's grave in the cemetery here?" she asks, pointing at an area of the map, "I know this battle is going to be a bit destructive, even without Team Natsu, so I don't want her grave to be destroyed..."

"Of course. We can both go to the border to get there with less trouble." Freed nods with a small smile.

Lucy gave a grateful smile before looking at Bickslow, "Bickslow, I have an important job for you that's similar to Gajeel's and Wendy's. I need you to use one or more of your babies to gather information from my father's office."

Sticking out his tongue with a perverted grin he let out a laugh, "Sure thing Cosplayer!" "Cosplayer! Cosplayer!" His babies repeated.

A tick mark appeared on her forehead, not bothering to deny being a cosplayer once again, she turns to Warren, "Warren, it'll be your job to send a signal through telepathy once Lupus confirms my wish for the signal to be initiated. This signal will go through everyone to protect the mansion from any of the enemies trying to get inside while you, Laxus, Mira, and Elfman," she points at the said Dragon Slayer and Take-Over siblings, "Will get the info from Warren of where Gajeel and Wendy are with Lupus. You'll be getting Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy will be getting Gray, and Mira and Elfman will get Erza." The said people nod, even Laxus who didn't like to be told what to do, yet he had to admit, it was a pretty good plan so far.

"Before we go any farther through the plan, do any of you have any questions?" she asks.

"Who'll be going after the Master of the guild that your father paid?" Evergreen asks as she fanned herself with a scowl.

"I think I'll be the one to fight the Master." A serious voice spoke and everyone looked at the Master.

Lucy's eyes widen slightly, "Oh Master, you don't have to-"

"Lucy, child, I may be old, but I will always fight for Fairy Tail, no matter how old I am. Just like at Phantom Lord, I will fight, especially if my children have been taken away from me." he says.

At this she smiles and nods, "I'll get to when you'll be facing him, but for now, I'll explain what everyone else will be doing."

* * *

After a long explanation and memorization of the two maps, everyone settled down back in their respected seats to resume in the tense silence through the air. Unknown to the others, a certain Exceed froze at her seat on the table next to her favorite Dragon Slayer, her eyes growing wide in shock as the world around her crumbles down.

* * *

**CARLA'S POV**

Without any warning at all, the blurry scenery out the window I was looking out of began to steadily darken, as the familiar feeling in my mind began to form blurry images. My eyes widen when I felt the world around me change into a completely different location. Or should I say... in a cloud of dust and rubble.

Coughing and waving away the lung clogging air with my paw, the dust eventually cleared up to reveal the guild's well known blonde, Lucy, who was panting heavily as she glared at something in front of her. She was in, what she had called, Leo's Zodiac Bond, and had a few bruises and cuts.

What she had been glaring at, was a kneeling, panting woman. I couldn't see what she looked like due to a shadow concealing her face. The woman's clothes were partly burnt off, but still concealed her womanly parts to keep her modesty, but she was even more injured than the blonde. She had burns and bruises that were slowly turning into purple with blue.

Lucy smirked to herself slightly at the fact that she had the upper hand before yelling with a voice full of anger, "Where's Jude?!"

The woman smirked as she shakily stood up with a small grunt of pain before opening her mouth and speaking. "I'm not quite sure... Maybe I know where he is, maybe I don't..."

At the answer, Lucy gave a growl that resembled an animal's as her fists began to glow. No, not the beautiful golden Regulus that she normally used in this form, along with Loke. Her clenched fists glowed a deathly, blood red Regulus, just like in the guild after interrogating the three imposters.

Raising her fist and pointing it straight out in front of her along with her other hand grasping her wrist firmly, she yelled, "Regulus Im-"

Before she can even finish the spell, a crash from the wall interrupted. Large pieces of it flew everywhere as Lucy and the mysterious woman shielded themselves from it, while the smaller pieces flew right past me.

Dust and rubble concealed the person who caused the damage. Before it can even clear up, the scene changed. The walls were even more damaged before.

Lucy looked even worse. She was bleeding more and had more cuts, and her bruises looked worse than before, even owning some new ones as well. Her clothes had definitely changed, but it was hard to tell what it changed into because of her own blood drenching it. The most eye catching thing was that her eyes weren't her chocolate brown eyes, nor the orange that she had in Leo's Zodiac Bond. It was a coal black. The blonde's head was bleeding and she had a busted lip... Who had done this? What happened?

I turn my head to where the woman from before was standing at, but I gasp when I see that the woman was no longer there. Instead, there standing was one of the guild's Dragon Slayers, Gajeel Redfox.

He wasn't in any better condition than Lucy. He didn't even look affected by the pain that he should be feeling... His eyes looked... Lifeless. Gajeel's face was unreadable, as if he did not give a care in the world of hurting Lucy, his partner.

An evil giggle from behind me made me swivel my body around to see the same woman from before, standing inside a box of runes with her arms crossed into an X right over her chest with a cocky smirk.

Her eyes darken as she watched the two mages before whispering loud enough for me to hear, "My precious little puppet..."

Everything turned black once again and I frantically look around to see what's going to happen next. Will it show me why Gajeel was fighting Lucy? Was it the woman's fault?

These questions weren't answered because there, right in front of me, appeared Lucy, standing up in the same blood-soaked clothes. She obviously had less energy than before and was struggling.

I couldn't see where she was, because everything was a pitch black, while Lucy had this type of spot light on her, but I assume that she was still in battle because of her condition and her facial expression. Determination.

A shadow began to loom over her from behind. My paws cover my mouth at the shadow and at the fact that Lucy was too distracted in her thoughts to notice the presence behind her.

Slowly looking up, my eyes widen in horror as I register the face that can only be one person that Lucy knew very well. He had well groomed blonde hair, a blonde mustache, and a brown suit with a red tie. Jude. And wielding in his hands was a sword.

He was about a few feet away from her and was ready to lunge at her from behind. Firmly positioning his hands on the handle of the sword, he moved, getting ready to stab the blonde from behind.

Everything went into slow motion before I heard, "LUCY!"

The image went black when the tip of the sword was just a few inches away from the center of her back.

I gasp when I find myself back on the train, still sitting on my spot on the table.

"Carla?..."

Quickly looking to the side, my eyes soften when I catch Wendy's worried gaze at me. "Are you okay? Are you not feeling well?" she asks.

I gave a slightly strained, reassuring smile, "I'm alright Wendy. I just felt light-headed for a second."

She clearly noticed the strained smile, but smiled back anyway, letting it slide before resuming back to her nap.

I look down at my lap as a frown formed on my face as the vision races through my mind as if replaying a tape that has been recorded.

Lucy is going to... die?...

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

"We will be departing at Acalypha in five minutes. I repeat, we will be departing at Acalypha in five minutes. Please collect your belongings at this time." The speaker blasted the voice to awaken the passengers boarding the train.

With several groans from just awakening Fairy Tail members, they all yawn as they recovered from their nap, glaring at nothing in particular at having their precious sleep interrupted. That was until they remembered why they were in the train in the first place.

Lucy, being awake the whole time to read more about her Zodiac Bond, woke the grumpy Dragon Slayer next to her, who in result, asked for five more minutes as he slumped against her sleepily.

Ignoring the blush adorning her cheeks, she gave a painful chop to his head that had woken him up completely and had effectively gotten the heavy weight off of her. But the chop to the head earned her a shout and glare from Gajeel, but was easily dismissed when she childishly stuck her tongue out at him.

Unknown to them, a certain blue-haired Script mage had watched their interaction with a frown with many painful and hopeful thoughts crossing through her mind left and right...

Back to Lucy, she was answering a question about her Zodiac Bond from Freed, but abruptly stopped when she heard two people speaking nearby about someone, due to her enhanced hearing that she had gotten from Leo's Zodiac Bond.

"How long has she been missing?" a woman gasped.

"For more than two months. A week after she took a job alone, they found out she suddenly disappeared! There was no trace of her left!" the man she was speaking to said, which she assumed was her boyfriend, due to how close they're sitting next to each other.

Lucy began to get curious about this news. Why hadn't it reached Magnolia if it was a mage from a guild? She quickly excused herself to Freed before standing and walking over to the two strangers with a confused expression, "Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking, who are you two talking about? I haven't heard of a mage being missing at all."

The man looks at her in shock, "You haven't heard? It's all over Crocus! A Celestial Spirit wizard from Sabertooth named Yukino Agria went missing two months ago!"


	12. The Team Trio!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_"_ _How long has she been missing?" a woman gasped._

_"For more than two months. A week after she took a job alone, they found out she suddenly disappeared! There was no trace of her left!" the man she was speaking to said, which she assumed was her boyfriend, due to how close they're sitting next to each other._

_"Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking, who are you two talking about? I haven't heard of a mage being missing at all."_

_The man looks at her in shock, "You haven't heard? It's all over Crocus! A Celestial Spirit wizard from Sabertooth named Yukino Agria went missing two months ago!"..._

_Damn it, I'm turnin' soft..._

_"Lucy, child, I may be old, but I will always fight for Fairy Tail, no matter how old I am. Just like at Phantom Lord, I will fight, especially if my children have been taken away from me." he says..._

_Lucy is going to... die?..._

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

The Celestial Spirit mage in Sabertooth?... Yukino's missing?

I remember her, I'll never forget her. She's a Celestial Spirit mage who also cares for her spirits as friends and don't use them as tools, we both became instant friends when we learned that we shared the same magic, but due to Jiemma still being Master at the time, we couldn't talk as much.

What is going on? Is Yukino okay? Are her spirits safe? I need to find her once all of this is over... I  _have_  to help Sabertooth find her.

"Yo Blondie, what do we do now?" My thoughts were interrupted by the Lightning Dragon Slayer who was looking down at me with crossed arms. I look up to see that we were standing in the forest nearby the Heartfilia Konzern, a safe distance from being in range of attacks. Everyone was gathered up in a group, waiting for orders from the blonde who had created their plan along with some adjustments from others.

To answer his question, I pull out a silver key that held the symbol of a black shadowy wolf. I held it out in front of me and whisper, "Gate of the Wolf I open thee, Lupus." Silently, Lupus appeared from the shadows, having had known about the plan to save the three Fairy Tail members. "Wendy, everyone, this is Lupus, Lupus these are my friends and I'm sure you remember Gajeel and Pantherlily." I say with a soft smile.

Lupus nods and bows his head, "It's a pleasure to meet you all and it's good to see you again Gajeel-sama and Lily-sama." He says before lifting his head up to look at me.

"Alright, Gajeel, Wendy, touch Lupus. He'll take you into the shadows with him, so you can see everything, but stay hidden." I said as I pulled out a dog treat from the pouch of my combat belt and fed it to the wolf spirit.

The both of them nod and did as they were told, but Gajeel was stopped by Carla who flew up to his shoulder. She whispered something into his ear, but I wasn't able to hear. I wonder what she told him, was it important? That doesn't really matter right now...

Gajeel joined Wendy in the shadows when the white Exceed finished speaking to him, before Lupus sank into the shadows of the trees that concealed us and zoomed off to nearby shadows that led straight to the mansion.

I then ran my fingers across my keys that were held by a ring and stopped at the one that I needed. I slipped it off the ring before holding it out in front of me and muttered, "Gate of the Twins I open thee, Gemini." With a faint shimmer of golden light my favorite twins silently appeared in front of me.

A smile bloomed onto my face as they floated around me, whispering, "Piri, piri!" Before they floated off and out of the area. I had already talked to the both of them on the train, so there was no need for explanation of what I wanted them to do.

I looked over to Bickslow as I snapped Gemini's key back onto the ring of the others. "Alright, Bickslow! Time for your babies to go!"

The Seith mage's tongue lolled out as he grinned in glee. "Babies, you know what to do!" There was an immediate response. His babies repeated his name three times before zooming off into the sky so the mages that were guarding the area outside of the mansion wouldn't be able to see the dolls.

"Freed, Levy, go to the grave and put runes around it. If you go north by the forest's border, then you'll be unseen, but there will be a gap of an open area that you will have to cross to get to the next part of the forest and finish the rest of the way there. Be careful." I reminded them and they both nodded silently before rushing off to do what they were ordered. I sigh uneasily as I looked at a group of my nakama that is part of the groups that split up in different sections of the forest to see that they were either stretching, preparing their weapons, resting, or unable to stay still due to their excitement for a good fight.

"Now... We wait."

* * *

**TEAM LUPUS, GAJEEL, AND WENDY**

Wendy looked at their surroundings warily. She couldn't even contain the shiver that ran down her back. She was expecting that being in a shadow would just give her the point of view of a shadow and allow her to see people normally without being noticed. What she wasn't expecting was the ominous chills that constantly went through her, the feeling of her body submerged in pure darkness. She wasn't sure if she felt safe or uncomfortable, but she didn't really like it.

Everything around her, even Gajeel who didn't seem to care about these sensations, was black and white. It was all so dull and bland, that it bothered her to no end. She realized that she wasn't  _in_  a shadow. She was a  _part_  of it.

"Tch, this mansion is like a maze!" Gajeel whispered harshly in irritation.

Lupus's bright eyes glance back at the wizards through the shadows as they continued to dart through each shadow of the mages guarding the halls. "We have covered all three floors of the mansion. All that is left is the basement."

"That must be where they are! It has to be!" The Sky Dragon Slayer says in excitement of getting to see her friends again.

"We also have to keep an eye out for the Celestial Spirit wizard as well, Gajeel-sama and Wendy-sama." The wolf reminded them.

Wendy nods as a worried expression crossed her face. "Right. I hope they're all okay..." She frowned.

The son of Metallicana sensed the concern in her voice and sighed. "Don't worry too much. They're strong."

These reassuring words were enough to diminish any of Wendy's fear of her nakama's well-being. They were Fairy Tail, and they never gave up. With that thought in mind, she silently promised herself to save her friends no matter what as her, Gajeel, and Lupus, entered the dark depths of the basement that looked less than a basement and more like a dungeon.

* * *

**TEAM GEMINI**

Gemini slipped through the entrance doors of the mansion, giving a nod to the guards that stood guard in front of them. They were currently disguised as the first mage they had seen when they left the forest. All of their enemies wore either cloaks, or something that had a hood to conceal their face. They had chosen one with a cloak, but it was clear to them that the man they had disguised as had long black hair.

If they were alone, they would have taken off their cloak to search for a guild mark, but that wouldn't be too subtle when every turn they took, cloaked figures guarded the halls. So far, they didn't pick up much information from them at all, though they heard a couple of guards talking about how Fairy Tail are on their way.

_It seems like they don't know that we're here already, Gem!_

_That's a relief!_

"Oi, you!"

The spirit abruptly stopped and calmly looked over their shoulder to see a tall cloaked individual walk up to them. Gemini turns around and remained emotionless as they spoke. "Yes?"

The mage stopped in front of the spirit and narrowed his eyes at them. It was clear as night and day that he was suspicious of them walking down the halls unlike the others who were staying at one place to wait for the arrival and battle with Fairy Tail. "Where's your post at?"

"My... post?" Gemini said with a tilt of their head.

A tick mark appeared on their forehead as he growled out in annoyance, "Yeah, your post! Are you stupid? Where were you ordered to stand guard at? The shitty Fairies are gonna come here any minute now!"

"Ah, Master ordered for me to check the hallways to make sure that the scum didn't some how sneak in, though I doubt that were possible due to how heavily the mansion is guarded." The spirit lied smoothly.

"Tch, whatever, do what ya have to do." The mage replied shortly before turning around and walking back over to where he had previously stood.

Gemini continued their way down the hallway after all of the eyes that were drilling into their head looked away. They were quite happy with their encounter with the mage. Why? Their hand held the guild mark of their enemy.

They had never seen the mark before. Was it a new guild? It looked sort of like an eye with only two bottom eye lashes. It also looked as if it had two tails on the bottom that swirled and were faced away from each other. Something told them that this was enough information that they needed, so they slipped into a nearby room that was a storage room without anyone noticing, and changed back to their original form before disappearing with a shimmer of gold light.

* * *

**TEAM BABIES**

The five possessed dolls named Pappa, Peppe, Pippi, Poppo, and Puppu split to different parts of the mansion in hopes of finding anything interesting and anything that came to use. Poppo and Pappa floated around by the windows at the back of the mansion, Puppu and Pippi took the liberty of taking the sides of the mansion, and Peppe was left with the roof and top floor of the mansion.

They all were able to hear conversations of the enemies that patrolled the halls, but they were either all unrelated to the situation at hand, or of things that they all already knew. It was a little frustrating for the dolls, due to the fact that they wanted to make Bickslow proud of them and to help his friends. They were also well aware that it was a matter of time before Warren sends out the signal to start the battle.

Peppe zoomed past each window that he saw that either were held by a dark and empty room, or to a hallway full of guards. He was about to see how his companions were doing after passing so many windows, but there was one that he saw that made him back pedal.

The doll settled himself on the corner of the ledge to watch and listen to the exchange in the room. The room looked like an office, a huge one in fact, that had many bookshelves. In front of the window was a desk most likely used to write paperwork. He was unable to see who sat on the chair behind the desk, but he was able to see who stood in front of it. It was another cloaked person, but their cloak was a dark purple, indicating that he was different from the other mages that patrolled the hallways. Peppe was annoyed that he was unable to see either of their faces, but he was pleased that he most likely found something very important for Fairy Tail.

"I'm assuming that the girl is like Lucy?" The cloaked figure questioned.

The mystery person that sat in the chair, seems to have nodded at the question before speaking, "Yes. They're the only ones that have them."

"I see... What do you plan on doing with her then? What about Lucy once we capture her?"

"We kill them when we're finished. It's as simple as that." The person, who was obviously a male, in the chair stated. "I do not want you to fail on capturing her this time."

They scoffed at the man's demand. "Fail? Of course we won't fail! We're stronger than we had ever been before! We're already rising to the Ballam Alliance to take the place of Oración Seis. By completing this mission, we'll definitely take our place there."

"Good. Now get that girl out of my office." He waved to some where out of view of where Pepe settled on the corner of the window's ledge.

The cloaked figure silently went over to where he had gestured at. There was some rustling and clanking of chains, before he came into view with a girl sporting tattered clothes and messy white hair thrown over his shoulder. On her wrists were a pair of handcuffs, and when he had turned around to exit the room, Pepe caught sight of another pair of cuffs on her ankles connected with some chain.

With the sight of the man spinning around his chair to face the window, Pepe zoomed off to meet up with his companions so they can tell Bickslow and Lucy what they had found out.

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

"Ugh, what does this all mean?!" Lucy hissed to herself in frustration as she gripped her blonde hair in her hands.

The first to send back what they had found out was Gemini. They had found out that they were unaware of their presence in and outside of the mansion, but they were all still on guard throughout all of the halls. They had even described the guild mark, but after Warren had used his telepathy to ask if anyone knows it, they had all came to the conclusion that it was a new guild with Makarov being the final voice for it.

Next were the babies. They were all excited for finding information for them all, and each of them spoke out what they had gathered. Of course, Pepe's was the most important out of them all. Her father didn't just  _want_  her, no he  _needed_  her for something and wants to  _kill_  her after it all.  _Including_  Yukino. Warren also shared this to the other groups of course and they weren't pleased at all.

The situation just became much more serious than it previously was.

_Why does he want to kill me? What is he trying to do? Who's this guild? Why do they need Yukino? What does he want?!_  These questions zoomed past her mind a mile a minute. She felt heartbroken that her own father wanted to kill her of course, she felt anger for him endangering her nakama and getting them involved, and most of all, she felt dread. She knew that Fairy Tail will push through and win no matter the circumstances when it comes to saving their family, but for some reason she felt dread.

" _Lucy-sama, Warren-sama, we found Natsu-sama, Gray-sama, and Erza-sama!_ " Lucy's and Warren's eyes widen at the voice that crashed through their minds.

"Lupus! Where are they?!" The blonde asks, immediately catching the attention of the rest of the group she was a part of.

" _They're each in three different places at the basement. Erza-sama is at the bottom of the stairs at the far left of the mansion, Natsu-sama is at the bottom of the stairs at the middle, and Gray-sama is at the bottom of the stairs at the far right! The top of the stairs are heavily guarded!_ "

The blonde spun around to face the Telepathy mage. "You heard him, Warren! It's time!"

Warren nods and placed two fingers on the side of his head as he closed his eyes.

" _Everyone, it's time to get our power houses back!_ "


	13. Operation: Protect the Grave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_"_ Lucy-sama, Warren-sama, we found Natsu-sama, Gray-sama, and Erza-sama! _"_   _Lucy's and Warren's eyes widen at the voice that crashed through their minds._

_"Lupus! Where are they?!" The blonde asks, immediately catching the attention of the rest of the group she was a part of._

_"_ They're each in three different places at the basement. Erza-sama is at the bottom of the stairs at the far left of the mansion, Natsu-sama is at the bottom of the stairs at the middle, and Gray-sama is at the bottom of the stairs at the far right! The top of the stairs are heavily guarded! _"_

_The blonde spun around to face the Telepathy mage. "You heard him, Warren! It's time!"_

_Warren nods and placed two fingers on the side of his head as he closed his eyes._

_"_ Everyone, it's time to get our power houses back! _"_

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

The reaction was instantaneous. You can imagine the startled and surprised looks the mages of the mystery guild, that became Fairy Tail's new enemy, has when they heard the battle cries echoing throughout the area as members of the rowdy guild jumped out of their respective hiding places behind the trees and bushes, attacking who their eyes landed on.

Lucy, Carla, Happy, and Makarov watched through a gap of two bushes that concealed them as the battle officially started. The first to attack was of course the fastest mage in the guild, Jet. He ran in a blinding speed towards his first victim before jumping with a cry, "Falcon Heavenward!" He landed a kick that was so quick, that even Lucy couldn't catch up with. All she saw was a flash of green light, before the mage was sent flying.

The two Exceeds couldn't help but smile at the sight of their fellow furry friend going at it as well. He was in his Battle Mode form and was taking out mages left and right with his Musica Sword. It didn't take long before every other mage of Fairy Tail had their own opponent to fight and commenced with the plan.

The Celestial Spirit mage watched in relief as the Fairy Tail members created a path big enough for Laxus, Mira, and Elfman to get through. As if on cue, the three said wizards suddenly appeared in the very middle of the ridiculously huge front yard, which was also the very middle of the battle field, with a strike of lightning. Laxus let go of the Strauss siblings's shoulders and they both sprinted towards the front doors of the Heartfilia Konzern, leaving behind a scorched-to-black patch of grass. The mages that were around them broke out of their moment of shock and lunged towards the three with an enraged cry, only to be stopped by the wizards of Fairy Tail, or to be struck with lightning by the Dragon Slayer.

If anyone other than the two guilds were there, they would have thought this was absolute chaos. Of course it was chaos, but Fairy Tail is much too use to this, and it didn't matter to them. They had one goal, and one goal only. Bring back their nakama!

_They're all distracted! Now's our chance!_  Lucy thought as she nodded in determination. She turned to the white and blue Exceeds, "Happy, Carla! It's time!"

The two looked at her and gave a smile. "Aye!" Happy chirped with a salute while Carla simply nodded. They both activated their Aera before flying over to the blonde and taking a hold of the back of her shirt.

Lucy looked down at Makarov who watched the three of them. She gave him a warm smile and said, "Please be careful, Master."

The old man only gave a close-eyed smile and a chuckle. "Oh, child, don't worry about this old man! Just go and knock some sense into that father of your's!" He waved her off teasingly.

"Alright, good luck!" She gave a wave of farewell with the two Exceeds, before being lifted from the ground and into the air above the forest, their next destination being the roof of the mansion.

"Hey, Lushy, even with Carla's help you're pretty heavy..."

"SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU!"

* * *

**WENDY'S POV**

I couldn't help, but sweat-drop as I continued to stare at the sight presented before me. "G-Gajeel-san... Y-You're really strong." I complimented and in return I got his signature laugh as he leaned against the wall with a proud smirk. The area that you enter the mansion and the hallways were littered with unconscious bodies of their enemy.

Back down at the basement only about ten minutes ago, was when Lupus-san sent the message before disappearing. It exposed our presence inside the mansion since we popped out, literally, of the shadows. Gajeel-san didn't waste any time and attacked with his signature roar, before I joined into the fight. As we ran back to the entrance, we took out anyone who was in our sight. Since Gajeel-san was ahead of me, he took out most of them.

I know that he's strong, but I wasn't exactly expecting him to cause so much damage. That was usually Natsu-san's, Gray-san's, and Erza-san's job. I hope those three are okay, I'll do everything in my power to save them!

A familiar voice startled me out of my thoughts. "Gajeel! Wendy! You guys are here!"

I spun around and brighten at the sight of Mira-san, Laxus-san, and Elfman-san. "Mira-san, you guys! You made it!" I ran over to them and gave Mira-san a hug that she returned as Elfman barricaded the entrance door using thick rods of iron, similar to the ones that he had pierced and destroyed the Fairy Tail guild with in the past according to the story that I heard from Lucy-san.

"The both of you made a mess in here! That's what I call being a man!" Elfman-san bellowed before laughing. Mira-san and I giggled at his antics, it was really funny! I wonder what got him to say that so often?

"No time for staring, we have three people to take back." Laxus cuts in.

In an instant, the room sunk into a solemn atmosphere. That's right, we have more important things to do than loiter around! I pulled away from Mira and dug my hand into my dress pocket before pulling out three keys with a number on each of them. They were all small and a shiny silver. "These are the keys to all of their handcuffs. We're sure that they are made to cancel out magic, other-wise they would have escaped by now. Key 1 is Erza-san's cage which is all the way down to the left of the basement, down some stairs." I give the key to Mira-san. "Key 2 is Natsu-san's cage. It's right behind the stairs and down a hatch door." I give the key to Laxus-san. "And Key 3 is Gray-san's cage. Which is all the way to the right of the basement, down some stairs. Gajeel-san and I only encountered weaker mages, but there's a possibility that there are stronger wizards now guarding them since we caused such a ruckus." I finished explaining.

"Behind the stairs, down a hatch. Got it." Laxus-san said with a nod as he put the key into his pocket.

"Alright then, let's go! Bunny should be at the rood by now!" Gajeel-san announced. Everyone gave a nod before following Gajeel-san and I as we ran down the hallway full of unconscious wizards.

Natsu-san... Erza-san... Gray-san... We're coming!

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

The voice of Warren's command and the sound of their nakama's battle cries nearly startled the two wizards out of their concentration. In a graveyard with neatly lined gravestones, both Freed and Levy were knelt beside the biggest one. This gravestone belonged to none other than Lucy's mother, Layla Heartfilia.

It has been about fifteen minutes since they started, and yet they weren't even able to write a single symbol for setting up the runes for Layla's grave.  _How is this possible?_  Levy thought,  _The runes we write keep disappearing as if they were being eaten away... What is going on?_

"This is strange... It's as if someone or something is stopping us from writing any runes on anything." Freed muttered to Levy as he watched the runes that he written crumble back into ethernanos in the air.

"It's possibly the earth."

"Huh? Why would you think that, Levy-san?" He looked over to the said bookworm in confusion. His confusion only rose at the sight of her frozen with wide eyes looking right back at him. "What's wrong?"

"T-That... That wasn't me."

It didn't take him long at all to process her reply. The two were up on their feet in a battle stance, facing their opponent. How were they unable to hear them or sense their magical presence? If they are able to sneak up towards them like that, then it's a possibility that they may be strong.

Dull, dark green eyes stared back at them. The woman in front of them, who wore a sleeveless, grey, turtleneck sweater, a pair of jean short shorts and sandals, didn't even flinch at their sudden change of demeanor. She simply tilted her head to the side at them, causing her black hair that was pulled up into a high ponytail to flop off of her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Freed demanded, his hand clenched around the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"My name is Avani." She gave a monotone reply to him before politely giving a little bow. "It is nice to meet the both of you. Though... It is a shame that I have to kill you two. Please give up now, or else you will suffer the consequences."

Levy clenched her teeth as she narrowed her eyes at the woman.  _Does she really think that we're weak?_  she thought in anger. Before Levy could even retort to her warning, the Raijinshuu member thrust out an arm in front of her, blocking her path as he stepped forward. "Levy-san, please continue with placing the runes on Layla-san's grave. I will hold her off."

The other looked at him incredulously, "But Freed-san-"

"I trust you in applying these runes. Though I am experienced with runes, even I don't know why they keep disappearing. I feel that this is more in your league than mine. So please... Trust in me as I do to you!" He said, looking at her over his shoulder.

Levy watched him, surprised. A surge of determination then went through her. She nods confidently at him, "Alright, I trust you. We're nakama after all! Just be careful, I brought some books about runes before we got on the train just in case something like this happened." She told him with a smile as she knelt back down beside the grave, pulling off her backpack.

Freed gave her a nod, dropping his arm before facing his opponent who was looking back at him with her still emotionless expression. The bookworm put on her reading glasses before taking out her magic pen,  _You can do this Levy! For Lu-chan!_

The woman's eyes intrigued him. They were dull and held absolutely no emotion at all. They were just overall blank and clouded over.  _Her eyes... It's as if they were-_  His eyes widen in realization. "Are you blind?"

Avani stared at him for a moment longer before giving a nod. "Yes. I am. Even though I am blind, please do not underestimate me." She said as she finally got into a stance with her feet slightly spread apart with a fist placed in the palm of her hand as if she were praying. "I can tell that you refuse to let me kill you with no further problems. Then so be it. Terra Firma: Rock Bullets!" She shouted.

At the sight of pieces of the earth shooting up from the ground and forming bullets, Freed unsheathed his sword as a purple beam of magic followed the tip of his sword from out of the sheath. "Dark Écriture: Reflect!" He casts just as the bullets shot forward. The runes that displayed in front of him, as the spell's name entails, reflected the bullets and shot right back to Avani, who easily dodged them all as if it were all second nature to her. He watched in disbelief, "W-What?!"

"I told you not to underestimate me!" Avani shouted as she put her hands back into position after all of the bullets had passed.

"Tch." His glare hardened, deciding that projectiles won't work on her. With his sword in hand, he charged towards her before slashing it down. He grits his teeth in frustration as his sword made contact with something equally as sturdy and strong as his sword.

"Terra Firma: Earth Blade." The blind woman said as she pressed against the blade with the same force with a rock spike that connected to her forearm and all the way up to her hand, concealing it. They continued their exchanges of blows, dodging and blocking the slashes and hits that came their way. "Being blind doesn't mean I can't see." Avani began to explain. "I learned Earth Magic as a child. With Earth Magic, it allowed me to 'see' people who stand on it. I can 'see' the graves. I can 'see' that girl looking through books. I can 'see' the battle between your guild and mine. I can 'see' you."

Levy gasped quietly when she heard this explanation and whispered, "That's it!" She flipped through the pages of a book frantically.  _I should have known! It all makes sense now!_  She thought before stopping at a specific page. She turned her head towards Freed, who was struggling with the battle. "Freed-san! I figured it out! She's the one keeping the runes from being written! Everything around us is made from the earth, so her magic is stopping me from placing the runes!" she shouted.

Avani merely glanced towards the bookworm's direction as both she and the green-haired man jumped away from each other. "Oh? You finally figured it out? I see... I suppose that I have no choice, but to kill you first. I don't have any idea why you want to place runes here, nor do I care, I cannot allow you to do so whatsoever." She said before momentarily releasing her arm from the rock's confinement. She went back to her stance and casts, "Terra Firma: Rock-Cicles!"

Spikes of earth and rock rose from the ground, having the similar shape of an icicle. Freed brought his hand up with his fore and middle finger pointed up, getting ready to swipe it in front of him. "Dark Écriture: Re-" His eyes widen in fear at the sight of the spikes bolt towards both Freed and Levy. Being forced to not finish his spell, he jumped to the side as he narrowly dodged one. The next one that hurtled towards him grazed his leg, causing him to wince and grit his teeth as it tore through his red coat and pants. He gave no thought to the throbbing pain on his thigh and the feeling of something warm and wet soaking the clothing around his wound.

Light green eyes snap towards Fairy Tail's bookworm at the sound of her painful shriek. "Levy-san!" He shouted with panic clear in his voice. Levy had clearly been dodging the spikes that had came her way, but she was unable to dodge the last ones. It nearly pierced right through her arm, and it was luckily one of the smaller and more narrow spikes. The problem was that even with the spike still lodged into her upper arm, it was bleeding heavily and her face was slowly draining from color. If she were to take the spike out without proper first-aid, then she would die from blood loss.

Freed was about to rush to her aid, but her shout halted him in his tracks. "Don't! I'm fine!" She shakily sat up using her uninjured arm.

"But Levy-san-"

"I said I'm fine!" Levy shouted again, though this time she shot him a glare before beginning to crawl back to the grave that she got separated from. "You're the only one out of the two of us who can stop her! Right now I'm not really capable of fighting, but our main goal was to protect Layla-san's grave! We can't do that if you're distracted by me just because I'm injured! We need to concentrate on our own battles and have no time to worry about each other. Somewhere out there Lu-chan and everyone is fighting just as hard, or even harder than we are! So we fight right now, and then worry later!"

Freed clenched his free hand into a fist as he watched Levy put her glasses back on before continuing with her work with shaky hands.  _Damn it, she's right! I need to fight harder! Levy-san has only been working on the runes, but because of me I wasn't able to protect her and she got injured, yet she isn't giving up even when she's close to passing out... Meanwhile, I haven't even landed a scratch on Avani!_  He faced his opponent once again with a glare, whom merely stood there, waiting.  _She said she can 'see' people who stand on the earth... How is that even possible? What is her weakness? I'll just have to continue fighting her to figure that out._  With that settled on his mind he then swiped his sword in the air followed by a purple beam of magic. Runes appeared in front of him as he inscribed them onto himself, "Dark Écriture: Absolute Shadow!"

His eyes snapped open to reveal that the white part of his right eye turned a pitch black, while his iris and pupil became a glowing yellow. A purple aura consumed him into darkness, before revealing his transformation in only a span of a few seconds. Freed's upper body became covered in dark armor, with shoulder pads and a helmet that gave a menacing and sinister appearance. His hair became slicked back and came out of the opening in the back of his helmet.

With a speed that a normal eye can't see, he dart towards her and landed a solid punch into her stomach. Avani was flung back into a nearby tree, causing it to give out and split in half due to the impact. The cloud of dust concealed Freed's line of view of the woman. He thought for a moment that he had defeated her, but he tossed that thought out knowing that that was too easy. As if to show that his thoughts were right a fist made out of purely earth and rock, that was nearly as big as Jura's, slammed into him.

He flipped through the air and landed by kneeling down, skidding back. He mentally cursed at the feeling of a bruise forming on his stomach. Even with the armor he had, the punch was incredibly painful.  _Even though I managed to hit her using speed, I can tell it's not enough. Speed isn't her weakness, so what is it?_  The green-haired man's thoughts were interrupted by Avani flying out of the cloud of dust to engage in hand-to-hand with Freed. Even though he had the upper hand with speed, she was able to dodge most of them. They were equally matched.

Levy wiped a bead of sweat off of her forehead before glancing over to the battle. She felt her admiration for Freed rise at the sight of the battle becoming much more intense than before. She remembered when he was defeated by Mira, but she didn't know he was this strong. No wonder the fight between the two in the Battle of Fairy Tail took so long from what Gajeel had told her.

_Hang in there Freed-san!_  She thought as she continued to write and flip the pages of her book.  _I'm nearly there!_

"You are stronger than I had originally thought."Avani said as she caught Freed's fist before attempting to stab him by using her trusty Earth Blade, but he easily dodged it and disappeared from view. "You're fast, but no matter where you go, I can still see you." She said, smoothly dodging the kick that was aimed at her from behind before sending a kick herself that managed to send Freed flying.

As if he was just slapped in the face, it finally came to him.  _That's it!_  Freed grunted as he fell back to the ground and stumbled back to his feet. He pants, feeling the drain of his magic included with his injuries take a tole on him.  _I should have known it from the start when she had told me... She can 'see' using her Earth Magic for crying out loud! he thought to himself. But if I cancel this form, I won't be as strong or as fast as I need to be. The only way I can defeat her is to... Damn, I was hoping not to use it again, but I have no choice!_

"I get it now..." He began as he brought his hand up, preparing to cast a spell again. "You said that you can 'see' if someone is on the earth, correct? Then what would happen if someone wasn't on the earth?" He questioned.

Avani's dark green eyes remained emotionless, but by her facial expression it was clear that she was startled by the question. Before she could even reply to this though, he shouted as he swiped his two fingers in front of him with runes appearing in front of him, "Dark Écriture: Darkness!" The Earth mage shivered as she sensed the dark magic pulse through the air and at the feeling of his feet on the earth enlarging, which could only mean that he was becoming bigger as well.

Freed, who didn't exactly look like Freed anymore, became something else. He grew twice his original size, taking on a demonic form with fur covering his body and a strange white symbol on his chest. His ears became larger and pointed, including his teeth which had prominent canines that looked sharp enough to tear through flesh. His fists were clenched, but it could easily be seen that his fingers held sharp and long nails that represented claws. His long green hair was wild and untamed as well, with long, violet horns protruding out of his forehead. One of his eyes was covered with strange scales while the other was normal. To finish off his transformation, on his back were his Dark Écriture: Wings that fit to his new size.

The now demonic Freed took a deep breath, throwing his head back to let out a thundering beastly roar. This of course alarmed Levy and causing her to look at the fight that was happening in front of her. She gasped in shock at the sight of the demon. When she caught sight of the familiar clothes that was on the demon, she couldn't hold herself back from whispering, "F-Freed-san?..."

This roar made Avani fear him much more than she first did when he had asked her that question before he became... whatever he was! This fear didn't stop her though. She had a goal too, and it was to kill both him and the girl. She slammed her fist into her palm and shouts, "Terra Firma: Rock Pillar Crush!"

Without time for Freed to react, many stones of various shapes and sizes along with parts of the earth rushed towards him and connected to his body. The rocks concealed his body as he rose from the ground as it built up into a tall and wide pillar. Avani separated her hands and readied herself to clap her hands together as an illusion of larger hands of her own appeared on both sides of the rock pillar that she had created.

She had no time to even move a single muscle, before the pillar suddenly exploded. Her eyes widen in shock when she felt her spell being forcefully cancelled out and no longer knowing where her opponent was. Freed roared after escaping the confinements of the pillar before using his wings to fly towards his enemy, and punched her square on her chest.

Avani soared back, knocking into a row of gravestones until she landed back on the ground roughly. She shakily knelt onto one knee as she wheezed and cough with her hand placed on where Freed had punched her on the chest.  _M-My ribs!... W-What the hell is he?!_  She thought almost hysterically.

Freed gave her no time to catch her breath and stand up. He kicked her with the same force he had used with his punch, sending her skidding on the ground. He was showing absolutely no mercy.

Levy had long since stopped watching Freed and Avani's fight. She didn't know what spell he had cast on himself, but she knew that he wasn't completely Freed anymore. The bookworm silently prayed for his safety as she frantically wrote with her Magic Pen.  _Just a little longer... I'm so close!_

"I-Impossible!" The blind woman exclaimed, dumbfounded. When she had felt Freed land back on the earth, she did not hesitate with making her move. With a strong spell of Terra Firma: Rock Bullets, she attempted to injure the demonic mage, but the spell was useless. The rock bullets merely shattered on impact.  _I have no choice, but to use the spell. It'll drain me from the rest of my magic, but it will be enough to kill both of them. Especially if he's in the air._

With her hands back in position she yelled, "Terra Firma: Supreme Rock Spikes!" A dark green magic circle appeared beneath her as a cloudy light green magical aura surrounded her. The ground began to rumble as she separated her hands before lifting her foot up and stomping it on the ground. The ground cracked beneath her foot and only lead to more cracks throughout the area.

It happened so fast that even Freed in his demonic form was surprised by it. Long and humongous spikes of earth and stone shot from the ground, reaching the height of the very top of the mansion. They all broke through the surface randomly around the area, impaling anything that was in their path. First there were a couple of spikes, but it turned into several spikes, and then into over twenty spikes. They were all pointed in various directions. Curved, upwards, downward, even sideways. And one of them went straight towards Levy and Layla's grave.

All around Avani were clouds of dust and debris. She fell onto her knees and winced when she began to pant heavily due to her nearly shattered ribs. The Earth mage felt relief. Absolute relief after casting that spell.

Of course, that relief disappeared merely a few seconds afterwards. Her eyes widen in horror when she registered that she felt that all of the spikes had not a single spec of blood.

" _Darkness Flare Bomb!_ " A malicious voice cried out followed by a searing pain that went through out her body. The Earth mage screamed bloody murder from the impact of the blast. The magic bomb didn't even send her away like it's intended to do, it crushed her into the ground, doubling the pain. It felt like hours that could have only been seconds when the pain had stopped. The aftermath was just as painful though.

Her throat was too raw to scream anymore. She felt burns scattered all across her body and the throbbing pain of her chest. She was in pure agony.

She said one last thing before she lost consciousness. "I accept... defeat..."

Levy sighed in relief from behind the purple runes at the sight of Avani finally passing out from the pain. She had managed to break through what was eating away the runes and write them around her and the grave in time for the spike to crash into them and disintegrate on impact. If she hadn't had done that in time, both her and the grave would have been pierced right through.

The bookworm smiled as she fell on the side of her that wasn't injured, the aftermath of the adrenaline rush and the blood loss finally getting to her. Before her eyes closed, she saw a blurry Freed go back to normal, falling onto the ground and thought:

_Good luck... Lu-chan..._


	14. Operation: Save Erza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_"_ Darkness Flare Bomb! _"_   _A malicious voice cried out followed by a searing pain that went through out her body. The Earth mage screamed bloody murder from the impact of the blast. The magic bomb didn't even send her away like it's intended to do, it crushed her into the ground, doubling the pain. It felt like hours that could have only been seconds when the pain had stopped. The aftermath was just as painful though._

_Her throat was too raw to scream anymore. She felt burns scattered all across her body and the throbbing pain of her chest. She was in pure agony._

_She said one last thing before she lost consciousness. "I accept... defeat..."_

_Levy sighed in relief from behind the purple runes at the sight of Avani finally passing out from the pain. She had managed to break through what was eating away the runes and write them around her and the grave in time for the spike to crash into them and disintegrate on impact. If she hadn't had done that in time, both her and the grave would have been pierced right through._

_The bookworm smiled as she fell on the side of her that wasn't injured, the aftermath of the adrenaline rush and the blood loss finally getting to her. Before her eyes closed, she saw a blurry Freed go back to normal, falling onto the ground and thought:_

Good luck... Lu-chan...

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

"Come on Elfman, the others said Erza should be this way!" Mirajane said, pointing to their right in the damp basement that looked awfully like a dungeon.

Her brother nods and followed after her through the long hall. It baffled them both of how a bright and clean mansion can have such a place that should belong underneath an abandoned castle of some sort. When they had entered with the others, the stench of mold instantly hit their noses. The stone walls were damp and grimy, and the ceiling dripped dirty water from unpredictable places. In addition to that, it wasn't exactly the warmest place to be in.

It made them both wonder what kind of conditions their nakama have been living in? Were they being fed? Bathed? The questions were endless, and they wanted all of them to be answered once they release Fairy Tail's beloved swordsman.

* * *

**?'S POV**

I haven't felt this cold for a very long time.

Not the type of cold on a snowy winter day... The type you feel inside.

Empty.

I don't even know how long it's been since I've seen everyone... A week? A month? I stopped counting the minutes on the fourth day, but I never stopped struggling. Never again will I give up when I'm in chains, bound and forced to be in their hands.

I would rather die than give up. Though the cold is tearing me apart inside me, I feel a spark of warmth hidden deep within. What was it exactly? I'm not quite sure. Maybe I can remember if the ones that had brought us here didn't forget to feed me, but I'm too tired to even complain, to acknowledge the rumbling in my stomach that begged for anything, or to even eat.

I can feel the warmth whenever I think about everyone. Natsu, Gray, Lisanna, and Happy are somewhere out there. Are they safe? Are they in the same position as I am? What about the rest of Fairy Tail? Do they know? What about Lucy?...

Lucy... She'll be one of the ones to worry the most. I miss her so much. Her and everyone. I want to see them again.

I have faith in Fairy Tail to get us back. I don't think that I can take anymore of these nightmares... They're just too realistic... I can never tell if it's just a dream or reality until I wake up and meet the sight of that damn metal door several feet away from me.

_Clacking of chains... Cries of all kinds echoing through the air... The aching burns on my back... The snapping of whips... Big, frightening men shouting..._

A violent shiver went through me at the memory. My hand instinctively reached down to touch my eye, but the cuffs and chains that were made to specifically seal in magic kept me from moving an inch. Just that simple jerk of the hand reminded me of how numb my arms were from being held up for so long.

I felt something wet drop onto my thigh. I look up to see if the ceiling was leaking again, but I felt a strange sensation on my cheek. Looking down again, I feel the sensation roll down to my chin and fall onto the same spot the other drop had fell at.

Why am I crying?

Another tear drops.

Why do I feel like I should be happy?

I shake my head and lean it against the hard stone behind me.

I just need to sleep. It'll help time go by even if I'll get another night terror.

* * *

**NO ONE'S POV**

"Lily, who do you think these strange people are?"

"I'm not sure Luke, maybe they are our enemies? They're letting Titania-san go it looks like."

"Master wouldn't be happy about that!"

Mirajane gasped and spun around as the cuffs that were on the said Re-quip mage's wrists clanked onto the stone floor, along with Elfman calling out her name as he caught her from falling on her side onto the ground before laying her down gently.

The barmaid looked at the two children in front of her cautiously. They were no doubt working for Lucy's father, considering they were talking about their master and how they were enemies.  _How did I not sense them? I feel powerful magic from them!_ "Who are you two?" She asks.

The twins tilted their heads toward the left. They both looked about the age of nine and had platinum blonde hair. The girl's hair reached to her mid-back and has her bangs swooped to the side, while the boy's hair is slicked back neatly. Their attire was very similar due to the colors. The girl was wearing a purple sun dress with black flats, while the boy wore a black dress shirt with a purple bow tie, and a pair of black dress pants and purple sneakers. Each held a stuffed teddy bear in their arms, the girl's being black, and the boy's being purple.

Mira felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight of their eerily dull hazel eyes. "My name's Lily." Said the girl.

"And my name's Luke." Said her brother.

A sickly sweet smile graced both of their features. "Do you want to play with us?" They chorused.

Mirajane looked at the both of them with clear hesitance. She spoke to her brother without turning her head, "Elfman, we need to get out of here."

"How?" His reply hung in the air.

_Elfman needs to protect Erza while she's unconscious... What should I do? I can't hurt these children! Even if they're the enemy!_

"You don't want to play with us?" Luke asked with a frown.

His sister looked up at the pair with a glare as she raised her hand towards them. "We'll get mad if you don't... You don't want us to get mad."

" _N-No..._ "

Mira's eyes widen at the familiar sense of foreboding and the emotion that filled her little brother's voice.  _Horror_. A type of horror that she never wanted to hear from her siblings ever again. A special type of horror that had only happened once.

Before she could even control herself, she allowed herself to turn around and let the dread settle in her heart. She never thought that this would happen... Why would it happen?  _Again_ , nonetheless?

"Elfman-nii...  _Why?_..."

A velvet pool of blood reached Mirajane's feet.

"Why did you do it, Elfman?..."

The male stared down at his little sister in his arms. Her right side had four jagged slashes that poured out a great quantity of blood, no matter how hard Elfman tried to stop it through his panicked and torn state. Lisanna had a similar expression as her big brother. Her eyes were wide with terror, a never ending river going down her paling cheeks.

"Why did you  _kill me?..._ "

Mirajane shook her head, taking a step back when the young Strauss's chest stopped moving.

"No... No, no, NO, NO,  _NO!_ " Elfman screeched, "Wake up! Please, Lisanna! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!  _Please forgive me!_ " He cried.

The barmaid tore her watery eyes away from the scene, only to meet mischievous hazel eyes. Realization hit her. "You two did this... Didn't you?" Her voice dripped with malice as her hands clenched into fists.

Their smiles only widened.

" _Demon Blast!_ "

A large ball of dark energy was blasted towards the twins in a blinding speed from a dark purple beam. Rubble and debris clouded where the twins originally stood, blinding anyone from seeing the result of the attack.

There, Fairy Tail's barmaid stood in her well-known Take Over: Satan Soul. Her eyes, eyelashes, ears, and hair has all changed drastically. All over her body were dark, thin markings. Covered in scales, her arms and hands each sprouted a fin-like protrusion on its outer side. A scaly tail, large and stock, also appeared along with changes of her clothes.

Her usual clothes were replaced with a skimpy, dark one-piece suit that revealed her arms and legs, which is open on the front and the back. It exposes most of her belly, wide cleavage and upper back too. To finish her transformation off, she dons a pair of gauntlets covering the back parts of her transformed arms.

"It doesn't matter who it is... Even a pair of children..." Mira started off, " _No one_  does that to my little brother."

Elfman stared back and forth from his older sister and his empty arms. Lisanna had disappeared, even her blood, as if she never existed, and when he looked up he saw the familiar murderous form of Mirajane Strauss. _Mira-nee has never hit a kid before!... But..._ He looks back at his hands that were earlier coated in blood.  _Did they do this?_

"Ne, Luke, Demon-san is really strong!"

"Yeah, too bad that she's not strong enough, other-wise we would have made her our big sister!"

Mira's eyes narrowed at the sight of the dust clearing, leaving the twins chatting among themselves casually, as if they weren't just hit by a fatal magical attack.  _That should have at least damaged them! I underestimated them... There's something about them that's really off and I don't like it._

"Lily, is it okay if I kill the other one?" Luke asked his sister with an excited grin.

The other blonde waved her hand idly. "Yeah, I don't care. I'll deal with Demon-san."

"Yay!"

The barmaid audibly cursed in both shock and fear at her new opponent.  _W-Why is Elfman in his Beast Soul in front of me?! The one that went out of control on_ that _night?!_ She felt her legs wobble until she fell onto her knees. From the corner of her eye, she was able to see her little brother in a similar situation, but instead there was a tall shadowy figure. But her attention wasn't on him.

It was solely at the perso- no.  _Thing_  in front of her.

She barely even registered herself shakily, and slowly crawling backwards as the monster approached her. She didn't want to be scared. She knew she shouldn't be scared, but she couldn't answer the question following that thought.

_Why?_

Why shouldn't she be scared? As scared as she was so many years ago? The aching horror that clawed inside her, just like those many years ago, giving her all the more reason to shake in terror at the beast in front of her.

She visibly flinched when it cried a roar that wasn't like any that she heard from Elfman's Beast Souls. This roar was wild. A roar so vicious and terrifying that Mira, of all people, whimpered.

That whimper quickly turned into a cry of pain when the monster's clawed hand was brought down onto her, slashing her arm and throwing her across the room. She barely registered her and her brother's cries as she felt searing pain radiate through her body.  _Why can't I move?! How did something from a nightmare appear?! It can't be an illusion, since it's physically hurting us!_

"Lily, this is getting boring!~" Luke whined with a pout, tightening his arms around his bear.

"I agree, but let's just keep watching and see how long they la-"

The two yelped in surprise, jumping back when two figures were smashed into the ground in front of them. Their eyes simultaneously widen as large as dinner plates at what had landed before them.

The bodies of a glowing, red-eye beast and a shadowy figure that were shimmering away into black magical particles.

Mirajane glared at the twins with anger evident in her eyes from where she knelt on the ground, holding her bloody side. "You two... Your magic... Does it have to do something with nightmares?!"

Lily's face lit up like a firework. "Ah! You're close!"

"It's called Dream Magic!" Luke continued excitedly, "We can use all of your dreams against you. Nightmares are our favorite to use! Our teddy bears help us!"

His sister whacked the back of his head, "Baka! Don't tell the enemy that!"

"Sorry..."

" _Beastsoul: Weretiger!_ "

Elfman growled at the twins. He knew it wasn't manly to hurt kids, but they had hurt his sister and one of his nakama. Someone who hurts either of the two purposely, especially if they're aiming to kill, is on his list of people he hates.

The young Strauss sibling transformed his entire body into a very massive creature, possessing distinctive traits characterizing a great variety of felines. In this form, he was standing on his rear legs, which gained a structure similar to that of a feline. His toes sprouted sharp, dark claws, not unlike those appearing on his fingers. He still obtains his toned, muscular physique, and is covered in many dark spots that are more reminiscent of a leopard's.

Topping his head was a long, messy and dark main that was similar to a lion's topping his head. Along with a dark feline nose and sharp teeth, he had a mildly long, spotted feline tail ending in a dark tuft, that sprouts from his lower back.

_What he said about the teddy bears is all I needed!_ He thought before speeding towards the twins to capture his prey.

"Bad kitty!" Lily shouted as she jumped in time to spin her body around and land a solid roundhouse kick into the Weretiger's face.

Elfman was flung into the wall, roaring in pain as his injuries flared up upon impact. Growling, he struggled to get back to his feet.

"Elfman, protect Erza! I'll deal with-"

_No..._

Her breath hitched as her eyes met glowing red ones.

_Not again!..._

Not only was there one of the out of control beast, but multiple. All mixed in with mysterious, tall shadowy figures.

Her eyes shut tightly as she waited for the onslaught of attacks.

_Why are these nightmares one of my only weaknesses?!_

" _HEAVEN'S WHEEL! DANCE MY BLADES!_ "

A barrage of swords flung all around the room, plunging into the bodies of the physical manifestation of nightmares. They tore into their bodies, bursting into a cloud of black particles that disappeared as they floated down.

And not only did the swords manage to defeat the nightmares with terrifying ease, but two managed to pierce the two teddy bears as the twins cried out in pain when cuts began to scatter all over their bodies. All until they fell onto the ground. Mira can only assume that they had passed out due to the pain of the many cuts.

The barmaid was quick enough to catch Erza before she fell onto the ground, her body shimmering back to her original clothing. She gave her past rival a watery smile, "Thank you, Erza... I'm sorry for almost losing, but... That just means we have to get stronger, ne?" She smiled warmly down at the Re-quip mage, who let a smile grace her features as her mind plunged back into the world of darkness.

Elfman was the only one to see the teddy bears disintegrate into shadowy clouds that evaporated into the air, before following Erza's lead.

* * *

**LISANNA'S POV**

This is bad, this is bad, this is  _really_ bad!

I was really lucky to end up fighting that big-mouthed guy, but now things are ten times worse!

All through battle I saw Warren somewhere near me, but now of all times he isn't there! Where the hell is he?!

I dodged, kicked, and punched as I made my way through the battle field, cursing every word known to man in my mind. I was panicking and getting frantic now with my heart beating wildly in my chest.

It was no wonder they hid their guild mark somehow! Just so we wouldn't gain an advantage! I need to tell Warren...

_I KNOW THE GUILD THAT WE'RE FIGHTING AGAINST!_


	15. Operation: Save Natsu & Gray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some OC enemies will be inspired by One Piece from here onwards. ;)
> 
> \- Queen Pommy
> 
> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad!_

_I was really lucky to end up fighting that big-mouthed guy, but now things are ten times worse!_

_All through battle I saw Warren somewhere near me, but now of all times he isn't there! Where the hell is he?!_

_I dodged, kicked, and punched as I made my way through the battle field, cursing every word known to man in my mind. I was panicking and getting frantic now with my heart beating wildly in my chest._

_It was no wonder they hid their guild mark somehow! Just so we wouldn't gain an advantage! I need to tell Warren..._

I KNOW THE GUILD THAT WE'RE FIGHTING AGAINST!

* * *

**LAXUS'S POV**

"What the hell are  _you_  doing here?!"

It took every single cell in my body to keep myself from electrocuting the damn brat sitting on the wet cobblestone floor pitifully.

I had taken my time getting to where Natsu was being held prisoner, taking in the sight of what you wouldn't expect to be underneath a luxurious mansion like Heartfilia's. I don't even think Blondie knew about it until now. It's clearly been neglected for years considering the build up of mold and the rust covering the bars of cells lining the walls, but the only thing that looked relatively new was the steel door trapping Natsu.

It only took one punch to take it down and I almost cringed when the smell hit my nose. It smelt like blood, piss, and something else foul to my sensitive nose. The source of it was none other than Fairy Tail's resident Flame Shit, who was nearly covered in dry blood and bruises, chains hanging from the ceiling with cuffs at the end that didn't allow him to use his magic. He had been hung up with his feet barely touching the floor for who knows how long. This is probably the only time I'll feel even a little bad for him.

Now here I am, unlocking the cuffs, and he decided to wake up from his little nap. A vein bulged from my forehead as I growled back, "I'm saving you, dumbass."

The pinkette bared his teeth at me. "I don't need saving! I was about to get out, save Erza and Gray, and kick those bastards' asses!"

This time I rolled my eyes. The kid is so damn stubborn and annoying that he even refuses to be saved when he needs to be. "Yeah, I bet you were 'about to get out' for the past month, huh?"

"MONTH?!" He began to thrash in his restraints, the sound of chains clanging against each other bounced off the stone walls. "I gotta get out of here! ERZA! ICE PRINCESS! I'M COMING!"

"Oi! Hold still!" I scowled, grabbing the cuffs to forcefully keep him still as he shouted for his partners. "Mirajane, Elfman, Gajeel, and Wendy are getting them! Stop shouting, damn it!"

"ERZA! Gray! I'm!... coming... guys..."

...And he passed out. I sighed, shaking my head before finally unlocking the cuffs and catching the younger Dragon Slayer before he fell. I unceremoniously toss him onto my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, frowning as I felt the effects of him staying here for so long. He was noticeably colder, which is very unusual for a  _Fire_  Dragon Slayer, and I could feel his spine poking the palm of my hand. If that sounded bad, then you should take a good look of him. He was covered in bruises and cuts. The injuries themselves shouldn't be serious, but it was to the point where the amount of it was.

"Eek! An intruder!"

I turn around upon hearing the new voice behind me. A choked sound escaped me as I felt bile dance in my stomach, threatening to come up. Listen, I don't judge people, okay? I wouldn't give two shits if you were sexually attracted to a damn oven, but  _this_? Is some God trying to punish me?

Right at the entrance of the door was a darkly tanned man, his nose flatter than a washboard, and lips looking as if they were sausages. His long dreads were pulled up into two side buns with pink ribbons, and to match said ribbons, he had on blinding pink makeup that included eye shadow, blush, and lipstick. Not only that, but he wore only rainbow suspenders, a pink tutu, and pink flats with white pantie hoes. This guy better not try to kick me or I really will throw up. "Who the hell are you?"

"I should be asking that! Who the hell are  _you_?" He points at me with a manicured pink nail and his other hand on his hip.

Wincing at his obnoxiously high and feminine voice, I carefully set a snoring Natsu down by the wall. "I was just picking up this brat. Is that a problem?"

"Obviously! You should know better than to take my cute prisoner away from me!" He places his hand over his heart, "Not only is that stupid, but suicide!"

I sweat-dropped with an eyebrow twitching rather violently as I watch my opponent strike the most ridiculous pose that I have ever seen. He was squatting down with his legs spread like a sumo wrestler and leaning slightly to the side as he pressed both arms together as he rose them, with fists facing outward, revealing his ludicrous hairy pits.

"BECAUSE I AM THE ONE AND ONLY METAL MAN! UG LEE!"

I blinked in surprise before snorting, and then snickering. "Your name's Ugly?"

"NO!" The tan man stood normally, stomping his foot childishly on the floor. "It's Ug and then Lee! Two words! Two of them!"

"So it's Ugly."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

A feral grin appeared on his face and he took great pleasure of the sight of his enemy sweating profuesly as the color drained from his face, watching lightning crackle around me. "Oh, really?" I held up a fist and encased it in my magic, "Let's see you try."

* * *

**WENDY'S POV**

Gajeel-san looks very stressed...

We've been walking through these dungeons for a while now, and it's becoming colder and colder just like a cave. We've been hearing crashes from battles above us and echoing through the dark halls.

My lips twitched into a frown when we pass by a jail cell. Was Gray-san in one of these? The others? I hope not. I hope they're okay. That everyone's okay.

I rub my arms in an attempt to warm myself up a bit. I should have asked Lu-chan for a shirt and pants so I could change out of this dress...

A squeak escaped me when a big hand rested on my head before it began to ruffle my hair, "Cold?"

I look up at Gajeel-san and gave him a reassuring smile, "Just a little. Are we almost there?"

He nods as he removed his hand. "He's close... Actually, he should be right..." He sniffs again before abruptly stopping at a large metal door that was heavily locked. "Here." I watch in silent awe as he placed his hands on the door and clenched his fingers. The metal fell into his grasp as if it were butter before tearing it off, lock and all, and tossing it to the side. "Shit." He hissed to himself before he rushed inside.

Suddenly nervous by his reaction, I followed behind. Only half way into the rather large room did I realize the state Gray-san was in, causing me to freeze for only a second. But during that second, I realized that Gray-san, Natsu-san, and Erza-san weren't just being held captive here, but were abused. They weren't fed well, or given proper hygiene, they were just being used as punching bags!

Frowning, I rush to his side and fell on my knees beside him as Gajeel-san unlocked the cuffs that held his arms up. I pushed the radiating blue light into my hands and hovered them over his unconscious body to assess his injuries. All this time... All this time and we didn't know! While we were living our lives as normally as they could be, we had no idea that part of the Team Natsu we knew for a month weren't them at all. What have they gone through without us?

I begin the healing process with my body tense in concealed rage. How could they? How could they put all of my friends in pain? My family? Even Lucy-san had taken some of the pain. More importantly... Why were they doing this?

"Wendy..." I gasp, my magic flickering as I lost concentration when Gray-san rasped out my name, before coughing violently. "D-Don't... waste m-magic..."

"Oi, Ice Queen, you shouldn't talk." Gajeel-san ordered with a hint of concern.

He weakly shook his head. "N-No!... She's g-gonna come for you t-two..." He forces his head up so it rested against the wall. "Urgh... I-I'm gonna puke."

"You've been poisoned." I inform him, gently taking his arm to point at the light scars of a sharp object. If he was injected by poison, then it definitely wasn't with a needle. "If I don't heal you right away, you might die, Gray-san!"

He stubbornly shook his head once again. "S-She's coming... Be c-careful!... If she touches you... then y-you'll die..."

Gajeel-san cursed under his breath when his eyes fall close. "Is he going to be okay?"

I press my lips into a thin line. "He doesn't have much time. I need to get the poison out as soon as possible..."

"It's no use. All of the poison is running throughout his body now."

We both snap our heads up, Gajeel-san was the first to move to stand protectively in front me. He glared menacingly at the woman as he tensed his body, ready to attack or defend when needed, "Who the hell are you?"

The blonde woman took a hold of her cigarette with two fingers and pulled it out of her mouth before exhaling a cloud of smoke, gazing lazily at the both of us with grey eyes specked with purple. She smirked from where she leaned against the door frame, "It's impolite to ask who I am before introducing yourself first."

"Why you!-"

"It doesn't matter anyway. I already know who you are. Gajeel Redfox and Wendy Marvell..." Her smirk widens, "Two of the three Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail."

"Are you the one who did this to Gray-san?" I tried to look as intimidating as I could, but she only laughed at the expression I was making.

The woman pushed herself off the frame, "How cute. Ice Boy? Yeah, he's a nice punching bag when I get mad at the damn brats."

Gajeel-san's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he cracked his knuckles by only bending his fingers. "Gihihi... You're lookin' pretty punchable yourself, bitch!"

Standing up abruptly, I quickly took a hold of his arm, "Wait! Let me fight her, Gajeel-san!"

"Eh? Why?" He rose an eyebrow down at me, the corner of his lips tugging downwards. "I can kick her ass quick. Just sit back and relax, kid."

I stubbornly shook my head and looked back up at him defiantly. "No. I know you're worried about, Lucy-san, especially after what Carla told you." I ignored how his eyes widened in surprise, "Carla only told you because she didn't want everyone else to worry. She knows that you care for Lucy-san a lot. Please go! I may be weaker than you and Natsu-san, but I'm strong enough to hold my own!"

Gajeel-san blinked owlishly down at me before grinning widely and planting his hand on my head in order to ruffle my hair roughly, causing me to pout. "Gihi! If you insist! Thanks, kid!"

My pout quickly transformed into a small smile, nodding up at him. With that said, he bolted out of the room, the stomping of his feet on the stone floor fading away. I turn my head back to the enemy when I heard her snort in disbelief, "Are you kidding me? I don't want to kick some brat's ass!"

"Well this brat is going to kick your's!" I said determinedly before taking in a deep breath until both my lungs and mouth were full of air before letting it out with a burst of magic, " _Roar of the Sky Dragon!_ "

In one swift leap, the woman managed to dodge the hurricane-like blast. Instead, it hit the wall that was behind her and created a large hole in it with rubble scattered around it. She puffed out another small cloud of smoke as she looked at the damage when the dust had cleared up, "Hm... Not bad. But not good enough." A feral grin spreads across her face, "I am Sukie Tamaki... And I will be the one to kill you."

My eyes widen when she headed towards me with a sudden burst of speed. "Fast!" I gasped, barely jumping away from long yellowish claws aimed to scratch me. I felt myself tense once I realized that her claws were dripping a purple liquid. I squeaked, surprised, when they sizzled on the ground upon impact. This is not good!

"I'm surprised that you can actually keep up with me." Sukie admitted, licking off some of the acidic substance from her claw.

"Well, there's a lot of things that you don't know about me!" I charge towards her, " _Crushing Fang of the Sky Dragon!_ " Jumping up, I surround my hand with a ball of air and swipe it at the blonde, but before it could even touch her, my attack was cut short when she grabbed my wrist from the air and swung me directly into a wall.

The air was instantly knocked out of me upon impact. My back was probably going to be sore by the time this is all over, but that's the least of my worries right now. I shakily try to pull myself onto my feet, but my knees gave out from the sudden weight put onto them.

Sukie snickered as she watched me cough and try to catch my breath, "Don't tell me that you're already done. I'm still having fun with you!"

I didn't reply, all I could do at this moment was to concentrate on trying to stand back up. Even though it hurt and I was trembling, it didn't stop me from finally standing up straight. She's really strong, but I can't give up now! " _Elemental resistances rise! Deus Corona! Physical ability rise! Dues Esques!_ " A green glow briefly surrounded me in response to my casting before I jumped high into the air, twisting my body to gain momentum, " _Claw of the Sky Dragon!_ " I land a swift kick onto Sukie's raised arms blocking my attack, followed by a large wind sliding her back a couple of feet.

She grits her teeth, crushing the filter of her cigarette, "Shit!" She hissed before finally pushing me off of her. With my wind's aid, I flipped off and landed on the ground lightly. "My turn!  _Acid Rain Bullets!_ " She repeatedly swiped the air to fling off the poison from her claws to try to pierce me with the toxic magic that she formed into sharp needles as they soar towards me.

I dodged as many as I could before finally making a pushing motion to stop them in midair with a blast of air, causing them to fall uselessly onto the ground and return to their liquid state. Sukie seemed to realize that the bullets were useless on me and stopped her assault. " _Poison Claws!_ " The purple substance coated all of her claws before she lunged at me.

I yelped, narrowly dodging her strikes at me. She was scarily fast, and I was too, but I can barely keep up with her! It's as if she's a blur! It wasn't until I was cornered into a wall did I raise my arms, crossing them to block the hit. My defensive spell could barely keep up with the strength that was held in her attacks, so when she was open, I thrust my foot out to kick her away from me.

She slid back to where she stood before, smirking at me with a dangerous glint in her eyes. I pushed myself off the wall, wincing when I felt a sharp burn on my neck. I reached a hand up to touch it, but flinched away once the pain doubled. My eyes widen the second they land on my fingers, now coated a thin layer of blood.

Sukie laughed at my expression, "Even though I didn't get a good hit on you, a nip like that can kill you in three days for someone as tiny as you."

"If it takes that long, then I'll have more than enough time to find a cure!" I take another huge breath, sucking in as much air as I can. " _Roar of the Sky Dragon!_ "

Once again, it only slid her back a couple of feet, but I didn't stop there. Jumping, I surrounded each of my arms with a large whirlwind, " _Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!_ " I aim them towards Sukie, the wind twisting and turning randomly as she got carried off along with it, slamming into the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling.

When the spell diminished, the blonde fell roughly onto the ground face first. Her claws scraped the ground, digging into it and crushing the stone as she rose her head to glare at me with unsuppressed rage. "You little bitch!..."

I pant, already feeling the drain of my magic. My eyebrows furrow though when my legs began to shake before they collapsed underneath me. "W-What?" I struggle to keep myself up using my arms, "M-My legs! I can't feel my legs!" I panic, wriggling around to try in any way to gain feeling in them again.

Sukie, now back on her feet, laughed at my predicament, "My poison isn't like any other poison. Even the tiniest scratch from me can slowly paralyze you within minutes. Starting with your legs, then your torso, your arms... And then all you can move is your head."

I grit my teeth as my hands ball up into tight fists. I didn't stop trying to move my legs, I even tried to use my wind to help me stand up, but I just fell down again. "Just give it up already, brat. Just accept your fate." From where I can see on the floor, she dropped the bud of her cigarette and crushed it under her foot. "Since I'm not  _that_  cruel, I won't let you suffer for three days."

She then breathed in, " _Poison Gas Cloud._ " The second she breathed out, I felt an unsettling shift in the air. It wasn't until I saw wisps of purple gas did I realize what she was doing. I held my breath, refusing to succumb to my demise. Gray-san was just right over there, dying. I can't die! Or else Gray-san will too! I came here to save him, so why am I just laying here, useless? Am I just too weak?

Sukie sighed, watching my arms collapse beneath me, "Even if you did win and survive, your little friend would still die. After all, only the holder of the poison can take it out, unless you were lucky enough to heal it right after I injected it into him."

Tears blurred my vision, my lungs tightening from holding my breath for so long. I couldn't move, which meant I couldn't blow the gas back. Even if I did, more would just fill the room. If I don't do something soon, then I'm going to end up breathing it in!

My eyes snap open. That's it! Breathing it in!

I stare at the purple air in determination. If Natsu-san and Gajeel-san can do it, I can do it!

Opening my mouth, I began to suck in the poisonous gas like I would if I was eating air. It stung and it burned my insides, but I didn't stop. I forced myself to eat every last speck of poison existing in the air. "H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Ignoring the woman, my mouth opens into a silent scream as my eyes widen like dinner plates. My whole body pulsed with a burning sensation, stinging and tormenting every nerve in my body. It was as if Natsu had shoved a ball of his flames into me and was burning my insides relentlessly, it felt as if it was getting scorched and turned into mush! I forced myself to stay awake, focusing on turning the poison I had consumed into magic instead of letting it sit in my body.

Then suddenly... It just stopped.

My fingers and leg twitched. Shaking, panting, and sweating, I hesitantly lifted my arms to push me up. Following after that, my legs jerked awake and followed after the movement. I'm not sure if it took a minute or five minutes, but I managed to stand back up onto my feet. Once I was standing straight, I suddenly felt energized, as if all of my strength was back.

I look down at my hands, only for me to gape at the effect the poison put on me. On my arms, and all over the rest of my body were purple veins, glowing a light blue aura. Poison and Sky Magic are complete opposites. One is meant to harm and the other is meant to heal and protect. Was my magic protecting my body from the poison that was flowing through me now?

"That's impossible! Y-You breathed in enough poison to kill a hundred people!" Sukie shouted incredulously, taking a step back. "W-What  _are_  you?"

I glared at her, "I'm Wendy Marvell! The Sky Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail!" I used my newfound energy to run towards her in a blinding speed and appear in the air above her, " _Crushing Fang of the Poison Sky Dragon!_ " The strike hit dead on, my wind laced with the poisonous gas tossing her into a wall like a rag doll.

Sukie coughed from where she sat in the rubble and quickly jumped onto her feet, ignoring the blood dripping from her head and her arm from where the sharp toxic wind hit her at. "This'll get rid of you!  _Poison Dragon Hydra!_ " Her poison poured out from her hands, falling onto the floor and moving towards the center of the room to form something.

I took a couple of steps back once I realized how big it was, not nearly as big as Grandine, but still big enough to crush me! My jaw nearly dropped at the sight of a five-headed monstrous Dragon looking  _thing_  formed. All of their mouths opened and roared so loud that I had to cover my ears as the ground shook. I need to finish this!

I take a wide stance that I've practiced many times, " _Dragon Slayer Secret Art:..._ " A magic circle appeared beneath me as a purple wind barrier surrounds Sukie, the monster, and I. It stood tall and firm and never stopped moving as my hands glowed a mixture of purple and blue. I then twist my arms, " _Shattering Light Poison Drill!_ " The last thing I saw before the wind barrier contracted inwardly to act as a large drill was the look of horror on Sukie's face. The drill slammed into both her and her creation, sending them flying into and through the once sturdy stone wall.

Rough pants escape me as I anxiously watch the dust clear up. I sigh in relief when my eyes spotted the woman laying in rubble and a huge puddle of poison, unconscious. Without wasting any time, I rushed over to Gray-san to begin the process of extracting the poison and healing the damage that it has done. One thought ran through my mind before focused solely on him.

_Gajeel-san... Please save Lucy-san!_

 


	16. DOLL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so here it is. The last published chapter that I have written. There will be much more after this one, but it's hard to say when I'll update. It might take a while...
> 
> \- Queen Pommy
> 
> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_"BECAUSE I AM THE ONE AND ONLY METAL MAN! UG LEE!"_

_"S-She's coming... Be c-careful!... If she touches you... then y-you'll die..."_

_"M-My legs! I can't feel my legs!"_

_"I'm Wendy Marvell! The Sky Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail!"_

"Gajeel-san... Please save Lucy-san!"

* * *

**LUCY'S POV**

"Carla, Happy, did you find anything yet?"

"No, nothing yet. Why are we looking in here anyway? I thought she was taken out of here to somewhere else."

I frowned hearing the worry laced in the Exceed's voice, reassuring her, "Bickslow's babies are scouting around looking for her too. For us, this is the best place to start since this was where she was last at. We might be able to find some more information about all of this too."

Carla nodded and continued looking through the large office with Happy. I turn back to my father's desk with lips pressed together in a thin line and brows furrowed in concentration as I rifled through the drawers, but my frustration grew as each one came up empty. There was nothing, absolutely nothing in here! There weren't even false bottoms or hidden compartments that I remember finding when I was a little girl. It was like he had completely moved out all of the information that he didn't want anyone to find, which he probably did considering the situation... Maybe he knew I was going to come here first.

I sighed, collapsing onto the chair behind the desk with hands rubbing my face. This was all just a huge nightmare. It had to be. Everything was happening too fast and... And I'm not sure what I'm going to be able to do with myself once this is over.  _If_  this ever ends.

Even while the three of us were trying to sneak around in the mansion with the battle going on outside, we all were able to clearly hear the fighting going on at the very bottom of my old home. It made me wonder if they were winning, if they were okay, and the answer I always gave myself was - 'Of course they're winning! Of course they're okay! They're Fairy Tail!' but then there is a whisper in the back of my mind. A tantalizing whisper that I can only describe as the logical side of me, hissing angrily, 'Stupid, of course they're hurt! If these people managed to kidnap Natsu, Gray, and Erza, then they're sure as hell capable of hurting other Fairy Tail members. And winning? How are you even sure that will happen? How do you know if this is the day that Fairy Tail ends?'

Stubbornly, I would bury those oh-so true thoughts whenever they would pop up. I was too worried about all of them to think about it too much and end up being unable to concentrate on my current task.

Are Mirajane and Elfman okay? Laxus? Wendy? Natsu, Gray, and Erza? Yukino?  _Gajeel?_

I bit my bottom lip at the very last person. My chest tightened at the very thought of something happening to Gajeel. It's inevitable in this situation, but still, just the thought broke my heart and the urge to go and find him doubled. But I knew I couldn't no matter how much I wanted to. If I want to find Gajeel and make sure that he was alright, I'm going to have to find Yukino and face my father.

" _Everyone, can you hear me? Guys!_ "

The three of us jump at the voice infiltrating in our heads, "Warren! Are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked as soon as I got over my surprise.

I can clearly hear how frantic the telepathic was, " _It's Lisanna. She found out who the guild is and it's not good._ "

"What?!" Carla nearly shouted, "Who is it?"

" _W-We're... T-The guild's called Ignis Fatuus. The second generation of Phantom Lord!_ "

"Phantom Lord!" I stood up, slamming my hands on the desk, "Please tell me you're joking!... I thought Jose was arrested!"

" _I'm sorry, Lucy, but I'm not. Jose was broken out with the help of his followers that managed to escape prosecution after we defeated them. He was hiding, waiting, gathering more elite mages that are much stronger than the ones he had before._ "

I squeeze my eyes shut, "And then my father found out he has gotten stronger."

" _Exactly. Be careful, you guys. They're different this time. Even out here with the small fry we're having some trouble-_ " There was static and the connection cut off abruptly.

My eyes widen, "Warren? Warren, are you there?"

"How annoying. I wonder who it was that gave us away... If he isn't dead already, I may have to take care of him personally for sharing such confidential information."

The three of them whipped around to find a woman casually leaning against a bookcase in the shadows with a cane in her hand along with a pipe in the other, guiding it to her mouth to breath out a small cloud of smoke. A single green eye traveled over to us as if just now noticing we were in the same room, and a wide smirk spread across her face, "Why hello there. Fancy meeting you here."

"Who are you? What did you do to Yukino?!" I demanded, coming around the desk with a hand prepared to take a key off of it's ring.

"Yukino?" She hummed in thought as she pushed herself off of the bookcase, fully revealing herself, the most noticeable being the white eye patch with a logo that I can only assume was the guild's. "Oh yeah, that girl!... Hm... I dunno. Don't remember." She shrugged innocently and my eye twitched in irritation. "My name? Everyone calls me DOLL. And not because I look like one."

This woman was setting off all types of alarms in my head. I can tell just by looking at her that she was not someone that I should fight, someone way out of my league and has had much more experience in fighting with magic. She was unnerving not only me, but the Exceeds as well. They can't be here, they'll get hurt if they stay here.

I went to grab Lupus's key so that he can safely get them out of here while being hidden, but... My hand. _It won't move_. I stared wide-eyed at the grinning woman.

"Happy, Carla, leave."

"Leave?" Carla repeated incredulously, "We're not leaving you alone here!"

"I'm not telling you again, leave!" I snapped, getting desperate now as I tried moving my arm, a bead of sweat rolling down my forehead, "Happy, go find Natsu and Laxus! He should have rescued him by now, and Carla, go find Wendy and Gajeel! They might be hurt!"

The two Exceeds looked at each other with just as much panic as me. "Be careful.  _Please_." Carla said before they gave me one last look then sprout their wings and zoomed out of the open window as quickly as possible. DOLL made no move to stop them. In fact, she just watched in clear amusement as I continued to struggle. "Having trouble there?"

Her pipe was in her mouth, hand raised with fingers curled up as if she were pretending that she had claws. "What did you do?" I hissed out and tensed as I felt more of those invisible restraints wrap around me, completely immobilizing me. No matter what I did, I couldn't move. I desperately wanted to call out Loke so he can help me, but that would just put him at risk of being in the same position as me.

"It wouldn't be fun if I told you, now would it?" She chuckled deeply. Then, she sighed and dropped her hand, which also made the restraints disappear. "And it wouldn't be fun if I killed you right away either."

Fear struck me through my very core. This woman could so easily kill me... With whatever magic she has, she can easily kill everyone here in minutes. Warren wasn't kidding about how much stronger Jose's guild members were. And because of all of those reasons, it's all the more reason why I need to defeat her or at least hold her off until we've got Natsu, Gray, and Erza out of here.

I grabbed a key and held it out in front of me, "Gate of the Goat I open thee, Capricorn!"

A shower of gold sparkles appeared beside me before my trustful spirit appeared next to me, "Lucy." He greeted, but kept his eyes, hidden behind shades, glued onto the woman with caramel colored hair pulled into a single braid that draped over shoulder and onto her chest.

I took a hold of my whip's handle, "You know what to do."

The goat nodded and quickly followed after me as I shouted, "Fleuve d'étoiles!" Summoning the stream of blue celestial matter as Capricorn charged towards DOLL in an incredible speed.

To my shock, she dodged the skillfully aimed punch and kicked the spirit away from her as if he were nothing but a fly. "Capricorn!" I cried as he made impact with the bookcase connected to the wall. Anger flared within me at the sight and with no hesitation, I allowed my whip to go flying towards the brunette, but an invisible force knocked it away effortlessly.

Capricorn had quickly recovered and managed to reappear behind her to land a solid kick to her side. She seemed a bit surprised, though at the last minute she managed to slam her cane onto the ground so that she only skidded a few feet away. A cheshire grin formed onto her face and she snapped her hand up towards the spirit before flicking her wrist.

A cry of pain ripped out of his throat as an invisible projectile pierced through his chest. I screamed his name in horror as he was sent back to the Celestial Spirit World. DOLL laughed at my misfortune, "Fufufu, he is only a spirit. I don't see why you're so worried, it's not like I killed him."

"That may be, but he still feels pain. And I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

Instinctively, I snapped my weapon, that was now just a simple handle, back to my belt and grasped the new one that materialized in my hands as new clothes replaced the ones I was currently wearing. I charged at her and the blade of my ax made contact to her surprisingly sturdy cane.

DOLL blinked in surprise, "So there really is more to you than I thought there was. I knew Jose was an idiot, but even I can tell that you're strong. Too bad that you're no where near my level."

I stumbled back when she flicked her fingers, wincing with a grunt. I look at my arm and glared down at the clean cut dripping in blood, stinging despite how it wasn't even that deep. Hell, it was more like a deep paper cut if I were to describe it.

It was just then did I fully realize my change of appearance. It also sunk in that I have Taurus's ax in my hands, shrunken down to fit my size. I was put into a bra and sleeves with a cow pattern decorating them along with pants that fully revealed my right leg and a belt with Taurus's zodiac sign on the buckle. Along with a pair of gloves and boots, a collar with a bell was around my neck and my hair was pulled up into two side buns with my bangs hanging out freely.

If I weren't in a fight right now I would be cheering and maybe even doing a little dance as to celebrate for finding another Zodiac Bond, so instead I just sent a steely glare at the woman who was adjusting her fur coat. "How would you know that?" I was not surprised hearing my voice coming out slightly deeper and more masculine, "What if  _I'm_  stronger than you?"

"Please, not even your pet goat was able to do anything."

"He's not my pet," I growled out. "He's my friend."

"Oh, lovely." She rolled her eyes, "You're just as delusional as that Sabertooth girl. I'm getting tired of talking to you."

She used her strange magic again and the only thing I can do was shield myself with my ax before coming towards her again. I strike down with it and her cane once again intercepts it. It continued on like this. Blocking the mysterious projectiles or taking them head on, and trying, and failing, to land a hit. DOLL was too fast. Though this Zodiac Bond is useful, in this situation it isn't.

What I'm most worried about is what her magic is exactly. Here I am, panting from all of the movement I was doing, and there she was, standing there with that grin now twisted into something borderline psychotic, along with her hand raised, flicking either her wrist or fingers.

Whatever she was attacking me with was invisible, so small that it's unable to be seen by the naked eye, or too fast for me to see. It would be best to get out of Taurus's Zodiac Bond because if I continue like this the pattern will repeat itself until my magic is completely drained.

Switching to Leo's Zodiac Bond, I crossed my bloody arms in front of my face and wince as a sharp pain went through them. I was littered in cuts both big and small. It came to the point where there were so many that my skin burned as if fire were dancing over it. Already, I felt myself becoming exhausted mostly because of the pain. I wasn't Natsu or Erza, who can take this type of pain with no problem. Compared to them, I was a normal person.

But every time I take a glance at the droplets of blood dripping off of me from the numerous cuts and feel myself get lightheaded at the sight, I think back to other battles. I remember why I'm doing this and why I'm fighting. I keep telling myself that I've been through much worse, everyone else right now is probably going through much worse. And I keep telling myself that Gajeel wouldn't want me to give up so easily because of a few cuts.

The last thought gave me the energy that I needed to randomly dodge away from the next onslaught of projectiles. As I gained a rhythm and DOLL began to become frustrated to the point where she doubled the speed, it became easier to predict or even catch a glimpse of when they're coming at me.

I concentrated on her fingers, trying to figure out what was coming out of them. What was she shooting at me? After another split-second glimpse of another aimed at me, it was like opening my eyes for the first time in a while as my mind went back to when I couldn't move my hand.

"String!" I gasped in realization. DOLL used this moment of distraction to inflict a rather deep cut with a piece of razor sharp string, that I can  _finally_  see with the help of my bond, right into my side.

A cry of pain ripped out of me as I fell onto one knee, pressing a hand to where I had been hit and taking it off to see that it was covered in my blood. I gritted my teeth, glaring up at the brunette smoking her pipe, "Tell me the real reason why Jude wants me. He took Yukino so there has to be." I demand, "Why does he want me?"

DOLL smirked, as if she were expecting this question. She looked off to the side as if she were thinking about a memory, "How do I explain this?... Well, to put it simply, Jude isn't the one who wants you." She looked back at me, "We do."

"Wah-... What?"

"Not only you, but the Sabertooth girl as well." She explains, "Once Jose escaped, he rebuilt his guild in a place out of view of the Magic Council. He gathered his members and found six elite mages, me being one of them. This was the birth of Ignis Fatuus, a dark guild aiming to be part of the Balam Alliance. Jude found out and contacted us. Now... This is where you and Agria come in."

DOLL placed the pipe in her mouth and blew out another small cloud of smoke. "Your keys are quite special. I've seen first hand what you two did to close that gate during the games, and not to mention right now. Who knew a Celestial Spirit mage could borrow their spirit's powers! With all twelve of the gold ones... We can finally have it! What we need to destroy those who goes against us... All of it's power will be our's!"

I found myself hurriedly pushing myself back onto my feet with wobbly legs as I caught sight of her crazed, dilated eye. "We will be the strongest in that alliance once I get rid of  _you_."

She lifted her hand once again and I tensed in preparation for what she was going to throw at me next, but that was all interrupted by a crash coming from the wall to the right of the office. We coughed as dust billowed over us, shooting into our lungs as the person who caused it cursed allowed in obvious irritation. It was a man, a man with a very familiar voice.

As the dust cleared, my eyes widen the moment I realized who was in the newly made hole in the wall.

"Where the hell am I now?! I don't get how she was able to live in this place, it's like a fuckin' maze!" He stepped out of it into the clearing air and did a double-take when his eyes landed on me, "Bunny-girl?!"

"Gajeel? What are you doing here, you should be with Wendy!"

"She can take care of herself. What happened to you?" Gajeel growled lowly at how much blood was on me, even seeing the hand pressed against my drenched side angered him even more. The Dragon Slayer's eyes darted over to the woman and his gaze darkened. Cracking his knuckles, he glowered at her with an enraged scowl, "You did it, huh? I'm gonna kick your ass!..."

My eyes widen, "Wait! Gajeel, don't-"

"Fufufu... I wouldn't do that if I were you, big fella."

I looked on in horror as he froze mid-step with a confused expression. Panic crossed his face as his arms slowly rose, gritting his teeth as he tried to pull away from whatever was connected to his arms along with the rest of his body. Seeing this, DOLL dropped her cane with a frown and flicked her fingers with her now free hand. Gajeel grunted in pain as several cuts appeared on both of his arms and he stopped struggling to glare at the woman, "You!..." He growled.

DOLL grinned, " _Parasite_. It's one of my favorites." Her fingers bent strangely as he took a step forward... towards me. "I can make someone do whatever my heart desired. I can make you go outside and kill your whole guild if I wanted to... Hm, maybe I will do that. Later though... For now, I want you to kill Lucy Heartfilia,  _Gajeel Redfox_."

"Fuck you!" He grits out.

"I would watch my tongue if I were you," She chuckled. "After all, _I'm_  the one who's controlling you."

 


	17. Gajeel vs. Lucy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this one extra long! Enjoy!
> 
> Have you noticed that some enemies are similar to those in Avatar and One Piece? ;)
> 
> I do not own Fairy Tail.

* * *

_"_ W-We're... T-The guild's called Ignis Fatuus. The second generation of Phantom Lord! _"_

_"My name? Everyone calls me DOLL. And not because I look like one."_

_"Where the hell am I now?! I don't get how she was able to live in this place, it's like a fuckin' maze!" He stepped out of it into the clearing air and did a double-take when his eyes landed on me, "Bunny-girl?!"_

_"I would watch my tongue if I were you," She chuckled. "After all, I'm the one who's controlling you."_

* * *

"Lucy? Master? Can you hear me?! Shit!" Warren cursed as he quickly regained concentration and continued fighting.

"What happened?" Lisanna asked as she scratched her opponent's face before kicking them away.

"Something cut off my connection and I can't get back on it-" He grunted when a fist sunk into his stomach, but he managed to return the favor, "But I managed to at least tell all of them who they are!"

"That's good and everything, Warren, but we have more things to worry about!" She said, panicking as the numbers of the enemy began to rise and surround them all.

The telepath and Take Over mage pressed their backs against each other as the enemy closed in on them, "Where did they all come from?"

"I don't know... Quick, hold onto me, I'll fly us out-"

The both of them jumped along with the people that were just about to cast their magic when there was an ear-shattering boom not too far off, along with a powerful wind that almost knocked everyone off of their feet. Lisanna caught a glimpse of pale blonde, black, green and pink, and dark brown before she heard-

"WHERE THE HELL IS YUKINO, YOU BASTARDS?!"

* * *

Lucy wasn't sure how long she had been dodging, blocking, and taking Gajeel's attacks. All she can think was that her whole entire body ached with all of the bruises and cuts that were created from this unwanted battle. All throughout it, she has seen Gajeel try to stop himself from inflicting the attacks, but to no avail as each time, DOLL flicked her fingers and a fresh new cut would appear on him. Each time this punishment happened, the wounds would get deeper and deeper until it had Gajeel grunting in pain instead of only wincing.

All throughout the fight, the blonde felt helpless. She was tired, frustrated, angry, and she just wanted to go home. She just wanted to get her friends back and go back home, to smack them silly for not being careful, to go back to the guild... She just wanted things to go back to normal. Well, as normal as it can be with Fairy Tail.

Lucy can see the guilt behind the fury that the Iron Dragon Slayer was radiating. She can see that he didn't want to do this, it was the last thing he wanted and it was true. Gajeel felt like absolute shit as the strings that were dug into his body and limbs used him like a puppet. If only he didn't get cut so deeply after each time he struggled, he could break out much more easily so DOLL wouldn't make him hurt Bunny anymore.

The worst part is that she was trying not to hurt him. She didn't dare hit him in any way even though she was fully capable of doing so. He wished that she would- "Just knock me out, Bunny!"

"No!" Was her instant reply, "I'm not going to hurt you-" She rolled away from a kick after getting knocked down, "Besides, even if I did, she can still control your body!"

"Wow, so she isn't an idiot." DOLL said from the sidelines, seeming entertained by the forced battle displayed before her, "She's right, Redfox. As long as I have Parasite on you, I can make you do whatever I want. Ahh... If only my sister got to see this. She loves when I use this spell."

Lucy nearly stopped completely upon hearing those words. That's right. As long as  _she_  has Parasite on him, she can make him do whatever she wanted. Without skipping a beat, she darted towards DOLL almost desperately and jumped up in the air, " _Regulus Lucy Ki_ -!"

Her casting was abruptly cut off by a hand snapping up to snatch the blonde's ankle before her foot connected with her face. DOLL's single eye glared up at the Celestial Spirit wizard's pale face with irritation, "I guess I was wrong. You're just as foolish as both Redfox and the Saber girl." Similarly to Capricorn, she tossed her away as if she were a rag doll and straight into a wall of books.

Lucy nearly screamed as her back made impact to it, but before she could, blood was coughed out of her mouth. She felt her ribs crack under the wood of the bookcase and the books themselves, along with her head snapping back onto it with a sharp crack. She slid back down onto the ground limply until she was sitting down, her head lulling as it throbbed painfully.

She blinked rapidly as she tried to shake off the stars in her vision and the ringing in her ears. She vaguely heard her name being called with pure worry and fear before there was enraged cursing. Lucy let out a tiny whimper, her sight clearing enough for her to wipe a hand behind her head and raise it in front of her eyes to reveal that it was coated in red.

Her eyes snapped open fully when her sharp hearing heard a grunt of pain that she has heard only rarely. DOLL stood on the far left in front of her, smirking pleasantly as she sunk her strings deeper into Gajeel's skin, "Oh, Redfox, did you really think I wouldn't be prepared to stop you from using your magic? You see, my strings are a part of me. They can feel whether or not you are preparing to cast a spell, so if you do... Well, you know what happens."

"As if that's going to stop me... Hah.. Hah... I'm not gonna let you get away with what ya did to Bunny!"

"I would absolutely  _love_  to see you try."

The both of them snapped their attention back to Lucy upon hearing a couple of books fall onto the ground. Gajeel's eyes widen both in surprise and relief when he saw her struggling to stand up, using the bookcase as support. "Huh, I was sure that throw would have knocked you out at least. It seems that you're not as delicate as you look, Heartfilia."

"Oh, shut it, bitch." Lucy snarled dangerously, baring her teeth to show off her sharpened canines, "Stop talking as if you're the strongest one here, because you're  _not_. You'll never be the strongest! You'll never be better than us! You'll never win!"

An eerie smile formed, "And why do you say that?"

"Because unlike you, we have friends to count on."

Her smile dropped.

Lucy stood up straighter, wiping away the blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, "Unlike you, we have people that make us stronger, that make us better, that help us win! The people that we care about... They are all always with us, with this mark-" She raised her hand with her insignia, "This mark binds us all together as a family and no matter what... We will eat, drink, fight, and live for our family. You?" She laughed humorlessly, "You have never experienced the power that love can do!"

"You... know...  _NOTHING!_ " The blonde crossed her arms in front of her just in time for a tan, bloody fist to meet them, "Love is for children! The naive! I don't have time for love, if anything, love only makes you  _weak_!"

Slipping past Gajeel rather easily with her speed, she rose her fists up in preparation for another round of fighting, her ears still ringing as Gajeel slowly stalked towards her, gritting his teeth. Blood dripped as he once again tried to move, but the ends of the strings connected to him felt as if they were burying deeper every time he struggled.

All he can think was that he needed to get out so Bunny won't get hurt. He needed to help Bunny to kick DOLL's ass. He needed to protect Lucy so DOLL won't hurt her anymore. He needed to protect Lucy. Lucy. Lucy. Lucy. Lucy. LUCY. _PROTECT LUCY_!

His futile struggling briefly stopped when his crimson eyes caught the sight of a shadow peering around the corner from behind the heaving Celestial Mage. "It's a distraction, a waste of time to be meddling with something as stupid as love!" DOLL continued on as the shadow grew nearer, "You should know this the best. Look at the both of you."

When the person finally came into view, his struggling came back with much more desperation. He didn't even feel the searing pain of the strings sawing into him, burning his nerves like a wildfire as blood began to pour instead of drip. Lucy's eyebrows furrow worriedly at the sight, oblivious to what was behind her, "This is what love did to you two! To the rest of your pathetic guild!"

"Lucy-"

"Because of your love for Salamander, Titania, and that Ice Mage, _Fairy Tail will fall into ruin!_ "

" _LUCY!_ " Gajeel screamed before his skin suddenly transformed into hard, metal scales with a rush of magic that was enough for the strings to rip out of him. Without hesitation, he continued forward with a renewed speed and pushed Lucy aside just as the new intruder thrusts their weapon.

The Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes bulged as a strained cry came out of him, the large blade sinking easily past his scales as if they were butter and right through his stomach.

Lucy's whole world slowed and blurred at the impossible sight. She felt numb as the ringing in her ears became more pronounced along with the beating of her heart thudding against her ribs painfully. Finally, as tears rolled down her cheeks, she screeched his name as loudly as she could the moment the blade slid out of him and he fell.

Quickly falling onto her knees by his side she shook her head frantically as she pressed her hands against the gushing wound, "No, no, no, no! You idiot! You fucking idiot!" She cried, "Why did you do that?!"

Gajeel hissed in pain as his skin flickered back to normal, "Same reason that yo... your-..." A sob came out of her when he coughed up blood violently, "-That your dumbass tried to Lucy Kick that handicapped pirate!..." He coughed again, "Just leave me alone, Bunny. I'll be-... I'll be fine. Just don't... Just don't die or I'll... I'll kill ya myself..."

His eyes suddenly fell closed and he went limp. Lucy's blood ran cold at the sight, "Gajeel? Gajeel?!" She shook his shoulder, "No, please, don't do this to me, Gajeel! You can't just leave me! Please, please don't leave me!... You're all I have!..."

"How disappointing. I paid a lot of money and pulled many strings to get a hold of this magic nullification sword to kill you, not the Dragon Slayer." The Celestial Spirit mage moved her gaze up to the one who had stabbed Gajeel instead of her like they had planned. Her eyes widen upon meeting his eyes, "I suppose it's nothing to worry about. He was in the way anyway."

In front of her was one of the very few people she hated. Someone that is no longer a father to her... Jude Heartfilia. From where she was on her knees as she looked up at him, her hands soaked in her friend's blood, she felt like the helpless little girl she had been. He stood above her menacingly, not only with his usual stern and cold expression, but also with a sword in his hand dripping with blood.

"Foolish fairy..." DOLL stepped up next to Jude, leaning heavily onto her cane in a lazy manner, "Did you really think your whole guild will live? All of your little friends? Outside of this mansion is a battle, and no one on either side will win or lose without bloodshed and death."

Lucy cried out when a foot slammed into her chest, her Zodiac Bond flickering out as she was forced to let go of Gajeel, slamming onto the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered feeling the foot continue to press down onto her chest, each cracked rib that was underneath this torment creaking underneath the pressure. The blonde's eyes snapped open again when she felt a tug at her belt and heard a familiar jingle.

To her horror, DOLL ripped off the gold keys that hung on the ring before tossing what was left on the ring back to her carelessly. She dug into her pocket and pulled out two more gold keys that Lucy quickly recognized as Yukino's. A dark chuckle escaped her as she splayed them out on her hands, "Finally... Finally, I have them all! All this time it was just so easy!"

"Give them... back!..." Lucy gasped out, reaching out for them.

"Oh no, no, no. I'm going to need to give these to Master and then once we get what we wanted with his help, we're going to destroy them."

"NO!" She screamed, and began to struggle even though her muscles told her not to move any longer.

DOLL once again slammed her foot into her chest and the blonde coughed up blood. "It appears that you have no idea that you lost already. You see... Salamander, Titania, and the Ice Mage were merely bait for you lot. Fairy Tail being known for their recklessness, one thing lead to another and you took the bait. I'm impressed that you all have come this far, if I were to be honest. Although, I am disappointed that it took you this long to figure out that you and Agria weren't the ones that we wanted. What we wanted..." She held up the keys gripped in her hand, "Were these."

Lucy gritted her teeth, lips pulled back in a snarl as her harsh breathing became heavier along with the blood boiling in her veins becoming hotter. "For twelve little keys like these to so easily do what they did during the Games... It's simply extraordinary, don't you think? It would make you wonder if they are capable of more, capable of something completely different."

The woman lit herself another cigarette, "There are many lost myths revolving around Celestial Spirit magic. How it's not as bright and beautiful as it's meant to be, the definition of light. Something dark lies deep within it, hidden and locked away from wizards... But not anymore. Our guild shall rise to the top once we get a hold of it! Once  _I_  get a hold of it!" A crazed gleam flashed in her eye, "The  _Black Hole_  will be mine."

"I'm still getting my money to pay my debts, correct?" Jude rose a brow at her after a moment.

DOLL rolled her eyes, "Your job was to provide us a hiding place and to kill Lucy Heartfilia. Get revenge like you wanted. For now, you only get half..."

Lucy stopped listening to them at that point. She turned her head so she can see Gajeel and she immediately began to tear up at the sight of how much blood that created a puddle beneath him that continued to grow. Her bottom lip quivered as she reached out with a shaky hand, brushing away his black hair before lightly trailing her bloody fingers down his cheek. Her nose burned horribly from the scent of copper.

This shouldn't have happened... If only she was paying attention, should could have at least defended herself or dodged it! Her father - no! he isn't her father anymore... -  _Jude_  killed him. DOLL tortured him and turned him into a puppet! Ignis Fatuus did all of this!... For her and Yukino's keys! They made so many suffer, so many of her friends and family suffer for some stupid weapon! For power! For... for revenge!

She snapped her attention back to DOLL, who was unaware of the blonde's growing rage. Why are people like this? Why do they make others suffer for power? All Lucy wanted to do was find her friends! She just wants to bring them back to safety and take them back home!

Her hand snaked up and wrapped around the woman's ankle, causing the woman to look down at her. Lucy panted roughly as her magic coiled around her body, burning through her core as an unbelievable amount of wrath filled her being, and all she saw was red. "Let... me...  _GO!_ " She bellowed before throwing DOLL off of her with a renewed strength and straight into Jude.

The Celestial Spirit mage forced herself to stand back on her feet as her appearance changed once again. A turquoise bikini top appeared with a matching frilly miniskirt that was tied with a ribbon to remain on her figure, the top having yellow zigzags going through it. Frilly matching sleeves were secured on her bicep, reaching down to her wrists, and sandals replaced her combat boots. She briefly brushed away her bangs, ribbons tying up some of her hair into pigtails.

"Wha-" DOLL blinked owlishly, her eyes flashing down to the keys clenched in her hand, "But you don't have your keys!"

"I don't need my keys, because no matter what..." She got into a stance and splayed her fingers out, feeling tendrils of magic gather the water in the air to circle around her hands, the liquid turning red, "My friends are always with me!"

"Stupid girl..." The woman muttered, dropping her partially smoked cigarette and crushing it beneath her foot. "No matter what you do, you can't defeat me."

" _I'll kill you for what the both of you did to Gajeel_."

"Jude, you should leave." DOLL suggested, "She sounds quite seri- What the hell?!"

All attention went straight towards her hand, the pile of gold keys glowing a peculiar mixture of black and red. DOLL hissed in pain, abruptly dropping them all onto the ground and revealing burn marks on the palm of her hand. The keys jerked and twitched on the ground, sliding and arranging themselves on the floor before rising up into the air.

A silence fell over all of them, squinting their eyes as they watched the keys continue to float. Slowly, but surely, they inched towards each other until they were huddled together. Everyone held their breath when the light suddenly died down, not sure of what to do. DOLL was the first to snap out of it and scowled, stepping forward and reaching out to grab them, but before she could even brush the tips of her fingers over the one closest to her, they all sped towards Lucy in a blinding speed.

She let out a startled shout right before they all slammed into her chest, immediately encasing the blonde in a large mass of black and red light.

* * *

_"Lucy... Lucy... Is that what they call you?... Lucy?..."_

Lucy's eyes fluttered open... Where was she? She can't see anything... Why does she feel weightless? Painless?... Is she dead?

_"Oh, you are not dead. It would be pointless to dispose of you, you are too valuable for that. Not to worry, I only brought you in the state one would be in between life and death. To put it simply, you are in a world of nothingness."_

Her eyes widen hearing the unfamiliar, wise voice of a woman, "Did you just-"

_"Read your mind? Not quite."_

"Who are you?" The blonde glared into the darkness, "What do you mean I'm too valuable? Why am I here?! I need to defeat DOLL!"

_"DOLL can wait, dear. She won't be going anywhere... And you already know who I am, Lucy."_

Lucy furrowed her brows, digging around in her mind to search for what it meant by that. The Zodiac keys definitely have something to do with it, so that means that it's!- "Black Hole?..."

_"Smart girl. Such a smart and beautiful woman... So powerful... So capable of much_ more _."_

The blonde wanted to take a step back when she heard the deepening of it's voice, the evil dripping off of the last word.

_"DOLL, Jude, and Ignis Fatuus took everything from you. Your friends, your happiness... The man that you cared for as more than a friend and partner... Everything. Don't you want them to feel your pain? Your torment? Don't you want them to go through every second of your suffering in agony for as long as they live?"_

Lucy began shaking her head hearing the whispers filter into her ears, "No..." She didn't want that. Yet, she wanted it so  _badly_. The voice was so right, it was exactly what she wanted. Just thinking about the people that hurt all of her friends... They deserve to suffer! They deserve to pay for what they did! They deserve to feel what she feels!

_"You're right, Lucy! They deserve it! Everyone deserves it! No one in this world has never gone through your pain, they're all the same! They all deserve to experience everything that you have felt, Lucy!"_

The thought gave her a sickening satisfaction. It fueled her anger even more and she saw the darkness around her flash a deep red.

_"Join me, Lucy. With me, you can use all of your rage on them all. Together, we will be above all of them!"_

Lucy opened her mouth, ready to passionately agree with the voice, to accept it's offer. But... No sound came out. She opened her mouth again, only to snap it shut. The darkness around her flared a red in response to her anger and the dark thoughts that were seeping into her mind cut short. The third time the darkness flashed red, an image of eyes the exact same color appeared in her mind.

Revenge... Power... It all means nothing! Once you have it, you are no better than the rest of them, she realized. But... But wouldn't it be wonderful? For once in her life, she can have everyone share her pain. For once, everyone will know how she feels!

"Stop it!" She screamed, shaking her head, "Get out of my head!"

_"You want this, Lucy. I know you do... Don't push it away. Let it in. Embrace the darkness!..."_

"No!" Lucy shouted, "I'll be just like them if I do it and I refuse to be like them! I don't need power or revenge to be happy again, all I need is my family! They may have made some horrible mistakes, but I forgive them. With them by my side, I'm stronger! I'm happier! I'm better! I don't need your damn power, so go fuck yourself!"

_"What are you saying? What are you talking about?! They hurt you! Your guild betrayed you! How can they ever make you strong or happy?"_

"Because I love them and they love me. Of course it hurts me still, but how will I ever move on without forgiving them? Power means nothing when it comes to love! That's why Fairy Tail always ends up doing the impossible!"

Lucy can still remember all of those times when they all did exactly that. The battle with the first generation of Phantom Lord when they all saved her, Tower of Heaven, Oración Seis... Every moment where no matter what, somehow, they managed to push through. They all protect each other, worry for each other, fight each other, and have fun together.  _Including_  her spirits.

She remembers Gajeel. How after she had defended him, they had a mutual respect for each other, which then transitioned into a strong friendship. Her heart ached, yet continued to speed up as she thought of the times that Gajeel protected her and took care of her in his own way. All of those times they spent together, having fun... Those were one of the greatest moments of her life.

And for the first time in a very long time that day, her lips stretched into a real smile. A smile filled with heartache.

* * *

It watched with curiosity as the Celestial Spirit mage smiled sadly, happiness dancing in her eyes. How can she be happy? Once she leaves this place, DOLL and that man will give her no mercy and kill her. Is this... Is this what love does? If it is, then what she said must be a lie. Love can only make a person weak. Love can't possibly-

_"My love, my Queen!... Why must you interfere with the Human World's affairs? Why did you do it?"_

What is this? Who... Who is this?!

_"Oh, my King, the love my life... You know that I care for the humans more than I should... I could not let that wizard reign chaos upon their world."_

"Who am I?"

* * *

_"Everyone! Run!"_

_"The Black Wizard! He is here!"_

_A young man yelped, jumping away from a large piece of rubble that nearly crushed him like a bug. The large village he continued running through was up in flames, houses and shops demolished, plants that somehow survived the fire were withered away as if they were drained of all of it's life. The wizard tried to ignore what else littered throughout the village, but it was nearly impossible when he was forced to run around them when they were in the way._

_People. So many dead people scattered the streets of all ages, both men and women. Some were burnt beyond recognition, some others having died from various other magical causes, and the rest being just as drained of life as the plants he had seen before._

_He finally caught up with the rest of his guild, who were already engaged with the followers of the Black Wizard. Everyone knew the fight was pointless though, there were hundreds, thousands of them! They were no match to them, but his guild was too stubborn to let it go. If they are going to die in all of this madness, then they'll die fighting._

_"Where the hell were you?!" One of his guild mates shouted at him, "It would really help if you called one of your little servants!"_

_"They're not my servants!" He shouted back at them angrily, but nonetheless pulled out his only key that can hold their own against the dark mages, "Gate of the Paired Fish, I open thee, Pisces!"_

_The white and black fish appeared after a flash of gold light. Their movements intermingled with each other as they slithered through the air and attacked the first group of mages they saw, catching them all off guard. Though, as soon as they defeated the first group, a large magic spell cut through the both of them and sent them back to the Celestial Spirit World._

_The young wizard cursed loudly at the sight, knowing that he's going to have to rely on his magically enhanced brass knuckles now that his only spirit capable of handling these kind of powerful wizards was gone. He was being beaten and grazed by spells everywhere he looked, and all around him his guild mates were dropping like flies._

_His eyes stung at the sight of so many of his friends dead, but he continued fighting. He continued fighting until something had all of the Black Wizard's followers retreating. He turned around and his jaw dropped._

_She was humongous, her height reaching a little over three times the height of a normal house. She was a giant, beautiful woman with dark purple skin and wavy white hair that reached down to her lower back. Her armored dress was a mix of purple and gold, still somehow flowing, reaching down to right above her knees. She remained barefoot from where she stood, an impossibly large sword strapped to her back. When her gaze drifted down to them all, the wizard came to a startling conclusion._

_This large woman was a Celestial Spirit. He can feel the pure concentration of magic she radiated, and with a quick look up to her forehead, he realized who she was. The magnificent tiara band confirmed what he thought... The Celestial Queen. But... He thought there was only the King!_

_A smile lit up her face at the sight of him and his guild members, somehow brightening her empty black eyes, "Move along, little ones. I will take care of this." She shooed them away gently._

_They all stood there, stunned for a long moment before the Celestial Spirit mage grabbed the first guild mate that was closest to him and dragged him away. The others snapped out of it as well and followed after them, taking cover as the Queen began her attack._

_The wizard, however, didn't seek cover. He sneaked away from his guild, finding a hiding spot where he can clearly see the battle, just in time for a cloaked figure to arrive._

_The Black Wizard._

_The battle between the Queen and the Black Wizard seems to have gone on forever and ever, shaking the world through it's very core as the power of light and darkness clashed. The young wizard worried for the Queen, she was becoming weaker and she has dealt with many dark spells cast onto her._

_But finally, after so long, it was over._

_The followers have long since fled, the Black Wizard had laid in a crater, defeated, before fading into black mist and being blown away with the wind, and the Queen on her knees. The young wizard gasped when she collapsed onto her side, the ground shaking upon impact. Not caring whether or not it was safe for him to leave his hiding place, h_ _e ran until he stood in front of her face. Her closed eyes slid open and her lips stretched into a kind smile, "Oh... I spy a little Celestial Spirit wizard... Ah, I'm so glad that you are okay."_

_"Are... Are_ you _okay?" The man asked, genuinely worried._

_"No." She said honestly, "I have remained in this world for too long, little one... I also grow weak from my wounds..."_

_"Is there anything that I can do? Please, I want to help you!"_

_The Queen's gaze trailed off of him and focused on something behind him, "I suppose... there is one thing..." She weakly pointed to whatever she was looking at, "Do you see that scythe?..."_

_The man turned around and he blinked owlishly at the sight of the scythe clenched in a dead follower's hand on the ground. He took a deep breath and retrieved it with little struggle, asking the Queen once he came back, "What shall I do next?"_

_"I will give a spell that is forbidden for wizards to use, but I shall grant you just this once to use it for I cannot do it to myself." She carefully brushed her finger onto his forehead, "My physical body is too damaged. It will die and wither away... I need you to cast this spell so you can transfer my soul into the scythe. It is the only thing that can handle my magic."_

_And so... He did._

_And once he did... He was no longer in the Human World._

_He was now in the Spirit World._

_He met the Celestial King... He was not happy._

_He spoke to his wife through the scythe with sorrow, shaking his head in exasperation at nearly every answer she gave him when she answered his questions._

_For his good deeds, saving the Queen's life, and upon her request, the scythe became his. She immediately gave herself a name when both she and the wizard returned to the Human World in order to search for the rest of the Black Wizard's followers._

_It wasn't until he and his guild was facing them did something change in Black Hole._

_She gradually began to whisper dark ideas to him, urging him, influencing him to not only kill the followers... But his guild as well. To become the best. To become the new master of the guild._

_And he did it. And once he did..._

_She killed him._ Feeding _off of the light that was trapped within him._

_The pattern continued... A Celestial Spitit wizard of pure heart would find her, use her, then succumb to the darkness before getting killed themselves. All until the Celestial King quickly caught wind of this phenomenon, immediately sealing her away. Not for the safety of the humans... But out of fear._

_And no one knew why..._

_Until now._

* * *

_"This love... I can feel your love for them all... Your friends, your spirits... I remember feeling that once... Oh, I remember!... What has happened to me? What has this scythe done to me?!... I should have known that the Black Wizard's magic tainted it, the darkness infecting and spreading through me... I do not know who I am anymore! Am I the Queen? Am I Black Hole? Who am I?"_

"You are who you want to be." Lucy told the distressed voice gently, having been silent throughout the story it was telling.

_"How can I be who I want if I cannot even fight off this parasite?!"_

"That's because you weren't doing what you should have been doing this whole entire time." She gave the darkness a stern look, "You fight! You never give up! Think of the people who make you strong!"

_"Little ones... my sweet, sweet children... my love!..."_

Lucy grinned as she looked around her, white light peaking from various parts of the darkness, "Never forget them. Magic isn't your source of strength,  _they_  are!"

_"Oh, Lucy... Thank you... I won't let you go through the same fate the others had gone through. I promise!"_

* * *

Lucy gasped as her eyes snapped open once again, the light that had consumed her quickly dying down. Her brows furrow in confusion when she felt her Zodiac Bond change again without her consent, looking down. She gasped at the sight of a flowing armored, purple and gold, sleeveless dress appearing, both sides of it having a slit all the way up to her hips in order for her to move freely.

She watched as gold, fingerless lace gloves appeared on her arms, reaching all the way up to her bicep. Reaching up, she felt the tiara band resting firmly against her forehead. Wincing she felt a burn on her chest and something appearing in her hand, instinctively grasping it firmly. Quickly glancing down at her chest, she saw an upside down star that can be interpreted into two ways depending if you focused on the bright, sparkling gold color, or the shape itself.

Much to her shock, as she finally saw what had appeared in her hand, she was holding onto a pure black scythe that was as tall as her, the blade itself white and fading into black. The whole entire scythe glowed a red aura... It was with a sudden realization did she figure out why her magic had changed the same exact color and why exactly Loke had gotten so scared. Now she understands what he was saying.

_"After four hundred years, you are the first Celestial Spirit wizard to have the potential of wielding me. The first Celestial Spirit wizard in four hundred years to have a heart so pure... Is this what guilt feels like? Sorrow?... I remember it... I hate the feeling, but I deserve it. I have killed all of those people that were like you..."_

Lucy's eyes trailed back over to the pair that she had been previously facing off, their eyes wide with shock.

_"But you... You are so pure! I have seen nothing like this from anyone else!... Lucy, please use my power wisely. I will do whatever I can to fight off the evil within me, the evil still consuming me. I trust you to stay as you are. You are stronger than you think to be."_

"I promise," She whispered, smiling softly. "I know that you can do it. One day, I'll help you get rid of it. I believe in you, Mrs. Mustache Man." She heard a small giggle in response.

_"That mustache of his really was ridiculous."_

Lucy felt power surge through her and incantations ready to come out of her mouth.

_"The knowledge and magic you will receive is temporary. After you defeat them, you will return to how you were, and you will have to train and learn for a long time before you get it all back."_

"That's perfectly fine with me. Thank you." She said sincerely before sliding into a stance and raising the scythe easily over her head, " _Supernova_!" She slammed the tip of the blade into the ground and a crack appeared, glowing red, before spreading towards Jude.

The second the tip of the bright crack touched his foot, an explosion rocked the entire office.


End file.
